Rambutan is adapted to warm tropical climates, around 2230 C, and is sensitive to

temperatures below 10 C.[4] It is grown commercially within 1215 of the equator.[13] The tree
grows well at elevations up to 500 m (1,600 ft) above sea level, and does best in deep soil, clay
loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter, and thrive on hilly terrain as they require good
drainage.[13] Rambutan is propagated by grafting,[13] air-layering,[13] and budding; the latter is most
common as trees grown from seed often produce sour fruit. Budded trees may fruit after two to
three years with optimum production occurring after eight to 10 years. Trees grown from seed
bear after five to six years.
The aril is attached to the seed in some commercial cultivars, but "freestone" cultivars are
available and in high demand. Usually, a single light brown seed is found, which is high in
certain fats and oils (primarily oleic acid and arachidic acid)[7] valuable to industry, and used in
cooking and the manufacture of soap. Rambutan roots, bark, and leaves have various uses
in traditional medicine[2] and in the production of dyes.

Rambutan before ripening

File:HNEP8.jpg
Rambutan cut open

In some areas, rambutan trees can bear fruit twice annually, once in late fall and early winter,
with a shorter season in late spring and early summer.[2] Other areas, such as Costa Rica, have
a single fruit season, with the start of the rainy season in April stimulating flowering, and the fruit
is usually ripe in August and September. The fragile fruit must ripen on the tree, then they are
harvested over a four- to seven-week period. The fresh fruit are easily bruised and have a
limited shelf life. An average tree may produce 5,0006,000 or more fruit (6070 kg or 130
155 lb per tree).[2] Yields begin at 1.2 tonnes per hectare (0.5 tons/acre) in young orchards and
may reach 20 tonnes per hectare (8 tons per acre) on mature trees. In Hawaii, 24 of 38
cultivated hectares (60 of 95 acres) were harvested producing 120 tonnes of fruit in 1997. Yields
could be increased by improved orchard management, including pollination, and by planting
high-yielding compact cultivars.[2]
Most commercial cultivars are hermaphroditic; cultivars that produce only functionally female
flowers require the presence of male trees.[2] Male trees are seldom found, as vegetative
selection has favored hermaphroditic clones that produce a high proportion of functionally
female flowers and a much lower number of flowers that produce pollen. Over 3,000 greenish-
white flowers occur in male panicles, each with five to seven anthers and a nonfunctional ovary.
Male flowers have yellow nectaries and five to seven stamens. About 500 greenish-yellow
flowers occur in each hermaphroditic panicle. Each flower has six anthers, usually a bilobed
stigma, and one ovule in each of its two sections (locules).[4] The flowers are receptive for about
one day, but may persist if pollinators are excluded.
In Thailand, rambutan trees were first planted in Surat Thani in 1926 by the Chinese Malay K.
Vong in Ban Na San. An annual rambutan fair is held during August harvest time.[14]
In Malaysia, rambutan flowers from March to July and again between June and November,
usually in response to rain following a dry period. Flowering periods differ for other localities.
Most, but not all, flowers open early in the day. Up to 100 flowers in each female panicle may be
open each day during peak bloom. Initial fruit set may approach 25 percent, but a high abortion
level contributes to a much lower level of production at harvest (1 to 3 percent). The fruit
matures 1518 weeks after flowering.
Rambutan cultivation in Sri Lanka mainly consists of small home gardens. Malwana, a village in
the Kelani River Valley, is popular for its rambutan orchards. Their production comes to market
in May, June, and July, when it is very common to observe seasonal traders along the streets
of Colombo. Sri Lanka also has some off-season rambutan production in January and February
in areas such as Bibile, Medagama, and Monaragala.
Both male and female flowers are faintly sweet-scented and have functional nectaries at the
ovary base. Female flowers produce two to three times more nectar than male flowers. Nectar
sugar concentration ranges between 1847 percent and is similar between the flower types.
Rambutan is an important nectar source for bees in Malaysia.
Cross-pollination is a necessity because the anther is absent in most functionally female
flowers. Although apomixis may occur in some cultivars, rambutan, like lychee, is dependent
upon insects for pollination. In Malaysia, where only about one percent of the female flowers set
fruit, no fruit is set on bagged flowers while hand pollination resulted in a 13 percent fruit set.
Pollinators may maintain a fidelity to either male or hermaphroditic flowers (trees), thus limiting
pollination and fruit set under natural conditions where crossing between male and female
flowers is required.