wild rambutan trees, along with cultivated ones, grow in the Philippines, a country within the plant's native Southeast Asian range. While the commercially known rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is widespread, a wild, closely related species called Bolala (Nephelium ramboutan-ake) is also native to the Philippines. Rambutan trees are tropical evergreens that produce fruit with a hairy rind, and they have a long lifespan, with some trees in the Philippines being over a century old.