It common name references its hairy fruit. It is derived from the Malay word ‘rambut’ which means ’hair’ and is in general use in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Rambutan (nephelium lappaceum L.) is thought to be indigenous to the Malay Peninsula. Rambutan spread westward from Malay Archipelago to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India.
The eastward distribution was probably to Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The earliest records in Malaysia of cultivar trials date from 1932, resulting in the registration, in 1952 of 32 clones by the Malayan Department of Agriculture.
Because of the short shelf life of the fruit, the market for fresh fruit rambutan is concentrated in Asia.
History of rambutan fruit
