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 attractive to many insects, especially bees. Flies (Diptera), bees (Hymenoptera), and ants ("Solenopsis") are the main pollinators. Among the Diptera, "Lucilia" spp. are abundant, and among the Hymenoptera, honey bees ("Apis dorsata" and "A. cerana") and the stingless bee genus "Trigona" are the major visitors. "A. cerana" colonies foraging on rambutan flowers produce large quantities of honey. Bees foraging for nectar routinely contact the stigma of male flowers and gather significant quantities of the sticky pollen from male blossoms. Little pollen has been seen on bees foraging female flowers. Although male flowers open at 06:00, foraging by "A. cerana" is