[4] The longan (from Vietnamese long nhãn[5] or Cantonese lùhng ngáahn 龍眼, literally 'dragon eye'), is so named because the black seed within the shelled fruit creates the appearance of an eyeball.

[citation needed] The flesh is translucent, and the seed is large and black with a circular white spot at the base.

[9] Longan trees prefer sandy soil with mild levels of acidity and organic matter.

[12] Later on, due to immigration and the growing demand for nostalgic foods, the longan tree was officially introduced to Australia in the mid-1800s, Thailand in the late-1800s, and Hawaii and Florida in the 1900s.

[12] The first European acknowledgment of the fruit was recorded by João de Loureiro, a Portuguese Jesuit botanist, in 1790.

The most prevalent disease among longan plants is witch's broom, which can be found in all major longan-producing Asian territories, including China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

[14] Witch's broom deforms longan skin, and at times causes the plant to prematurely drop its fruit, similar to the Phytophthora palmivora.

Common among tropical fruits, the disease mainly takes form as red-orange algae that can appear on a fruit-bearing tree's leaves or branches.

[17]Algal spot on longan plants, like many other tropical fruits, is caused by Cephaleuros virescens.

[16] An oomycete disease that affects the related lychee, Phytophthora litchii, also afflicts D. longan.

[19] Currently, longan crops are grown in southern China, Taiwan, northern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines,[11] Bangladesh,[21] Mauritius, the United States, and Australia.

[11] Longan, like its sister fruit lychee, thrives in humid areas or places with high rainfall, and can grow on most types of soil that does not induce issues with water drainage.

[22][23] During harvest, pickers must climb ladders to carefully remove branches of fruit from longan trees.

Mechanical picking would damage the delicate skin of the fruit, so the preferred method is to harvest by hand.

[26] Fruit is picked early in the day to minimize water loss and to prevent high heat exposure, which would be damaging.

Tests have shown that sulfur residues remain on the fruit skin, branches, and leaves for a few weeks.

[27] Longan is found commonly in most of Asia, primarily in mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand.

This increase in the production of longan reflects recent interest in exotic fruits in other parts of the world.

[33] In contrast with the fresh fruit, which is juicy and white, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black.