Kohala Longan

Dimocarpus longan 'Kohala'

fruit

Kohala is the longan that built backyard longan growing in Florida - the overwhelming majority of trees are this single dependable cultivar, introduced from Hawaii in the 1950s. A close relative of the lychee, longan hangs its tan, thin-shelled fruit in big drooping clusters; peel the shell and the translucent flesh is sweet and aromatic with a distinctive musky-honey flavor, around a single dark seed that gives the fruit its name (dragon eye). The tree is a large, vigorous, rounded evergreen that bears more reliably than most lychees, making it a productive and ornamental shade tree for warm, subtropical gardens.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Sweet Potato — A living mulch that shades the longans surface roots and crowds out weeds beneath the canopy
• Comfrey — Deep roots mine minerals; the leaves are chopped and dropped as a rich mulch at the drip line
• Lemongrass — A fragrant clumping border that shares the warm, well-drained site and helps deter some pests

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Lychee webworm →

  Caterpillars web shoots and flower panicles - prune out nests and use Bt during bloom flushes

• Scale →

  Inspect stems and treat with horticultural oil, pruning heavily encrusted wood

• Mites →

  Watch new flushes for stippling and galling, treat with sulfur or oil, and start with clean stock

• Anthracnose →

  A wet-weather fruit and leaf fungus - prune for airflow, avoid overhead watering, and clear mummified fruit

🌾 Harvest & storage

Air-layered or grafted longans begin bearing in about 2 to 4 years. Kohala blooms in late winter to spring and ripens from mid-July into early September, peaking in August. The fruit ripens only on the tree and does not sweeten after picking, so taste a few before harvesting whole clusters when the tan skin is full-colored and the flesh is sweet. Cut the bearing stem behind the cluster. Eat fresh, refrigerate for a week or two, or peel and freeze the flesh.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 60 calories per 100 g with a very high 84 mg vitamin C, 266 mg potassium, and modest fiber. Longans are juicy and refreshing eaten fresh, dropped into drinks and desserts, or dried (when they become intensely sweet and are used in teas and soups).