22 Pags.- 1 Tabl.- 4 Figs. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044238Longan (Dimocarpus longan) is an important evergreen fruit crop grown in tropical and subtropical climates, with a clear expanding potential, but with a poorly described phenology. In this work, the different phenological growth stages of longan are characterized according to the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische industrie) scale. From vegetative bud dormancy to fruit harvest, seven main growth stages are described for bud, leaf and shoot development, inflorescence emergence, flowering, fruit development and fruit maturity. Within them 41 secondary growth stages are described. The BBCH code will be an important tool to assist the development and implementation of longan management protocols and to standardize observations made in different edaphoclimatic and experimental conditions.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad—European Regional Development Fund, European Union (no. AGL2013-43732-R, and AGL2012-40239), Gobierno de Aragon A-43, and Junta de Andalucía (no. FEDERP08-AGR-3694). VTP was supported by a PhD scholarship in the frame of an agreement between the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain and the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).Peer reviewe