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 Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, India, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. It is also produced in Ecuador where it is known as "achotillo" and on the island of Puerto Rico. Thailand is the largest producer of rambutan, with 588,000 tonnes (55.5 percent), followed by Indonesia with 320,000 tonnes (30.2 percent) and Malaysia with 126,300 tonnes (11.9 percent) in 2005, the three countries collectively accounting for 97 percent of the world's supply of rambutan. In Thailand, a major cultivation center is in Surat Thani Province. In Indonesia, the production center of rambutan is in the western parts of Indonesia, which includes Java,