Rambutan

*Nephelium lappaceum*

How to know it

A medium tree with compound leaves and clusters of bright red or yellow fruit covered in soft flexible spines. Nothing else looks remotely like it.

What it does

Eaten fresh. The translucent white flesh inside surrounds a single seed. Closely related to lychee and longan, which is obvious the moment all three are opened together.

Safety

Safe. The seed is not eaten and should not be chewed, so remind younger children.

Two things to do with children

Open one in front of the class after they have looked at the outside. The gap between the hairy red exterior and the pale smooth interior is the strongest reveal available in a fruit lesson.

Compare rambutan, lychee and longan side by side. Same family, three different outsides, near identical insides. That is classification made visible.