Rambutan

Rambutan
A fuzzy red fruit and a clear circular fruit
Unpeeled and peeled rambutan fruit
A bundle of fuzzy red fruits on woody stems
Rambutan fruits
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Nephelium
Species:
N. lappaceum
Binomial name
Nephelium lappaceum
Synonyms
List
    • Dimocarpus crinitus Lour.
    • Euphoria glabra Blume
    • Euphoria nephelium DC.
    • Nephelium obovatum Ridl.
    • Nephelium pallens Radlk.
    • Nephelium rambutan Schnizl.
    • Scytalia crinita Raeusch.
    • Scytalia rimosa Roxb.

A rambutan or ramboostan (Nephelium lappaceum) is a tree from Southeast Asia. The fruit that grows on the tree is also called rambutan. It is in the same family as lychee.

The name rambutan is a word that means "hairy". The fruit does look hairy. The fruit is green in color when not yet ripe. Once ripe the outside of the fruit turns red. The flesh on the inside of the rambutan is white in color.

Rambutan is native to the Malay Peninsula and nearby areas in Southeast Asia. Rambutan trees grow naturally in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Rambutan is also popular in Sri Lanka.

The fruit is usually sold fresh, used in making jams and jellies, or canned.

Nutrients

Rambutan fruit is 78% water, 21% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and has negligible fat (see table; data are for canned fruit in syrup; raw fruit data are unpublished). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), the canned fruit supplies 82 calories and only manganese at 15% of the Daily Value (DV), while other micronutrients are in low content (less than 10% DV, table).

Rambutan, canned, syrup pack
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy343 kJ (82 kcal)
20.87 g
Dietary fiber0.9 g
0.21 g
0.65 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Thiamine (B1)
1%
0.013 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
2%
0.022 mg
Niacin (B3)
8%
1.352 mg
Vitamin B6
1%
0.02 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
8 μg
Vitamin C
5%
4.9 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
2%
22 mg
Iron
2%
0.35 mg
Magnesium
2%
7 mg
Manganese
15%
0.343 mg
Phosphorus
1%
9 mg
Potassium
1%
42 mg
Sodium
0%
11 mg
Zinc
1%
0.08 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water78.3 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.

References

  1. ↑ Barstow, M. (2017). "Nephelium lappaceum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T33266A67808476. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T33266A67808476.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Nephelium lappaceum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  3. ↑ "Nephelium lappaceum L." World Flora Online. 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Rambutan". World Agroforestry (ICRAF). Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  5. ↑ "The Rambutan Information Website". Panoramic Fruit Farm, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  6. ↑ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  7. ↑ "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. NCBI NBK545428.