Rambutan Rambutan The rambutan (, taxonomic name: "Nephelium lappaceum") is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to the Indonesian region, and other regions of tropical Southeast Asia. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the lychee, longan, and mamoncillo. The name "rambutan" is derived from the Malay word "rambut" meaning "hair", a reference to the numerous hairy protuberances of the fruit, together with the noun-building suffix "-an". Similarly, in Vietnam, it is called "chôm chôm" (meaning "messy hair"). Native
Rambutan to Indonesia, rambutan is commonly grown in various countries throughout the region. It has spread from there to parts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Central America. The widest variety of cultivars, wild and cultivated, are found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Around the 13th to 15th centuries, Arab traders, who played a major role in Indian Ocean trade, introduced rambutan into Zanzibar and Pemba of East Africa. There are limited rambutan plantings in some parts of India. In the 19th century, the Dutch introduced rambutan from their colony in Southeast Asia to Suriname in South America. Subsequently, the plant spread to