Rambutan
9
3
5Will it grow where I live?
Rambutan is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. The summer heat it needs to ripen is out of reach outdoors in Central Europe – greenhouse or conservatory.
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Profile
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Height
- 16 m
- Spread
- 9.1 m
- Growth
- fast
- Lifespan
- 60 years
- First yield
- after 5 years
- Hardiness
- zone 10–13
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Soil
- Silt, Loam
- Soil moisture
- semi-dry – very moist
- pH
- 4.5 – 6.5
Varieties (12)
12 varieties of Rambutan are listed in the Permaplans variety finder — each with its own page: taste, ripening time, disease resistance, parentage and use.
- Binjai Leading Indonesian cultivar: large, bright red fruit with sweet, firm aril.
- Lebak Bulus Large-fruited Jakarta cultivar with balanced sugar-acid and juicy aril.
- R134 Registered Malaysian MARDI clone with deep red, sweet fruit; also grown in Australia.
- R156 The 'yellow rambutan': ivory-yellow fruit with thick, firm and juicy aril.
- R162 Large-fruited Malaysian clone with thick, dry-firm, very sweet aril and high flesh recovery.
- R167 Large-fruited, red Malaysian clone with sweet, elongated aril; popular in Australia too.
- R170 Well-known Malaysian clone 'Deli Cheng' with sweet, red, good-quality fruit.
- R191 Recommended Malaysian clone 'Anak Sekolah' with sweet, bright red fruit.
- Rapiah Indonesian cultivar with crisp, firm, very sweet aril that separates easily.
- Rongrien Thailand's export star: crisp, sweet, juicy aril that separates easily from the seed.
- Si Chompoo Pink-red Thai cultivar with tender, sweet aril; alongside Rongrien the leading variety in southern Thailand.
- Sinyonya Productive Indonesian cultivar with juicy, subacid aril that clings to the seed.
Uses
Frequently asked questions
Rambutan: how big does it get?
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) grows as a Tree and reaches roughly 16 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 9.1 m. Growth is fast.
Rambutan: what site does it need?
Rambutan tolerates light shade. Suitable soils are Silt, Loam. Soil moisture should be in the range semi-dry – very moist. The pH may lie between 4.5 and 6.5.
Rambutan: is it hardy?
Rambutan is listed as hardy in zone 10–13 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Rambutan: will it grow in Central Europe?
Rambutan is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. The summer heat it needs to ripen is out of reach outdoors in Central Europe – greenhouse or conservatory.
Rambutan: is it poisonous?
No toxicity is recorded for Rambutan. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone — only on a confident identification.
Rambutan: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 9/10, Medicinal 3/10, Other uses 5/10.
Which Rambutan varieties are there?
The Permaplans variety finder lists 12 varieties of Rambutan, including Binjai, Lebak Bulus, R134, R156, R162, R167, R170, R191, Rapiah, Rongrien, Si Chompoo, Sinyonya. Each variety has its own page with taste, ripening time, disease resistance and parentage.
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