Sapindus | |
---|---|
Sapindus marginatus shrubs | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Sapindaceae |
Tribe: | Sapindeae |
Genus: | Sapindus L. |
Type species | |
Sapindus saponaria L. [1] | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
DittelasmaHook.f. [2] |
Sapindus is a genus of about thirteen species of shrubs and small trees in the lychee family, Sapindaceae and tribe Sapindeae. It is native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. The genus includes both deciduous and evergreen species. Members of the genus are commonly known as soapberries [3] or soapnuts because the fruit pulp is used to make soap. The generic name is derived from the Latin words sapo, meaning "soap", and indicus, meaning "of India". [4]
The leaves are alternate, 15–40 cm (5.9–15.7 in) long, pinnate (except in S. oahuensis, which has simple leaves), with 14-30 leaflets, the terminal leaflet often absent. The flowers form in large panicles, each flower small, creamy white. The fruit is a small leathery-skinned drupe 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one to three seeds.
The drupes (soapnuts) contain saponins, which have surfactant properties, having been used for washing by ancient Asian and American peoples. [5] [6] A number of other uses for Sapindus have also been reported such as making arrows from the wood and decorative objects from the seeds. [7]
Leaf and fruit extracts of Sapindus have historically been used in folk remedies to treat various conditions. [8]
Sapindus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) species including Endoclita malabaricus . Kernel extracts of soapnut disrupt the activity of enzymes of larvae and pupae and inhibit the growth of the mosquito Aedes aegypti , an important vector of viral diseases. [9]
Soapnut is used as a scouring agent for preparation of coloring fibers such as the yarn of Tussar silk and cotton. [10]
The number of species is disputed between different authors, particularly in North America where between one and three species are accepted. As of February 2024 [update] , Plants of the World Online includes: [11]
Paullinia is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae and typical of tribe Paullinieae. It is native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Cissus is a genus of approximately 350 species of lianas in the grape family (Vitaceae). They have a cosmopolitan distribution, though the majority are to be found in the tropics.
Sterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae: subfamily Sterculioideae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. Sterculia may be monoecious or dioecious, and its flowers unisexual or bisexual.
Swietenia is a genus of trees in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae. It occurs natively in the Neotropics, from southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America south to Bolivia. The genus is named for Dutch-Austrian physician Gerard van Swieten (1700–1772). The wood of Swietenia trees is known as mahogany.
Harpullia is a genus of about 27 species of small to medium-sized rainforest trees from the family Sapindaceae. They have a wide distribution ranging from India eastwards through Malesia, Papuasia and Australasia to the Pacific Islands. They grow naturally usually in or on the margins of rainforests or associated vegetation. Plants in the genus Harpullia are usually dioecious shrubs or trees covered with simple or star-shaped hairs. The leaves are paripinnate and the flowers are usually arranged in leaf axils, usually with 5 petals, 5 to 8 stamens and a 2-locular ovary. The fruit is a 2-lobed capsule.
Grewia is a large flowering plant genus in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. Formerly, Grewia was placed in either the family Tiliaceae or the Sparrmanniaceae. However, these were both not monophyletic with respect to other Malvales - as already indicated by the uncertainties surrounding placement of Grewia and similar genera - and have thus been merged into the Malvaceae. Together with the bulk of the former Sparrmanniaceae, Grewia is in the subfamily Grewioideae and therein the tribe Grewieae, of which it is the type genus.
Sapindus oahuensis is a species of tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is limited to Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. Its common names include Āulu, Oahu soapberry, alulu, kaulu, and lonomea.
Dodonaeoideae is a subfamily of flowering plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae.
Sapindus saponaria is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree native to the Americas. Common names include wingleaf soapberry, western soapberry, jaboncillo, sulluku and manele and a'e (Hawaiian). Its genus name, "Sapindus", comes from the Latin, meaning Indian soap, and its specific epithet means "soapy."
Lepisanthes senegalensis is a tree widespread through tropical Africa and tropical Asia to New Guinea and northern Australia.
Lepisanthes tetraphylla is a tree of India and Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries.
Sapindus mukorossi, commonly known as Indian soapberry, washnut, ritha or Chinese soapberry, is a species of tree in the family Sapindaceae. It is a deciduous tree that grows in the lower foothills and midhills of the Himalayas at altitudes of up to 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). It is also native to western coastal Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Goa in India; as well as Indochina, southern China, Japan and Taiwan as known by its many indigenous peoples. It is tolerant to reasonably poor soil, can be planted around farmers’ homes, and one tree can produce 30 to 35 kilograms of fruit per year.
Sapindoideae is a subfamily of flowering plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It includes a number of fruit trees, including lychees, longans, rambutans, and quenepas.