Sapindaceae
How to identify a pulasan tree
Nephelium ramboutan-ake
Shorter, blunter-spined than its rambutan cousin, with flesh often described as richer and sweeter; the seed usually separates cleanly. Far less cultivated than rambutan even within its native Southeast Asia.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Nephelium, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves are pinnately compound, with a few pairs of leaflets along a central stalk.
- Fruit hangs in clusters. Rambutan skin is covered in soft, hair-like spines; pulasan has short, thick knobs instead.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If pulasan is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo
- USDA zones
- 10b-11
- Climate
- Tropical humid lowland; slightly more heat-loving and less cold-tolerant than rambutan.
- Fruiting season
- July, August and September (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Rare in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so July, August and September is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling ~5-7 yrs; grafted 3-4 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting, air-layering, or seed for rootstock.
Relatives in the Sapindaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
- RambutanNephelium lappaceum
- LonganDimocarpus longan
- LycheeLitchi chinensis
- MamoncilloMelicoccus bijugatus
- AckeeBlighia sapida
Map your pulasan trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides