Sapindus saponaria
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Photo: Mark Hyde
Prince Edward School, Harare
Photo: Mark Hyde
Prince Edward School, Harare
Photo: Mark Hyde
Prince Edward School, Harare
Photo: Mark Hyde
Borrowdale Road, adjacent to National Botanic Garden
Photo: Mark Hyde
Borrowdale Road, adjacent to National Botanic Garden
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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)
| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | Western soapberry (English) Wingleaved soapberry (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Introduced and occasional becoming naturalized. |
| Description: |
Small to medium-sized deciduous tree. Leaves alternate, pinnate, 20-38 cm long with rhachis winged; leaflets 6-20, lanceolate, thick and leathery leaflets, 5-13 cm long; margins entire. Inflorescences in dense terminal branched heads, 15-20 cm long. Flowers numerous, small, white. Fruit in large pyramidal clusters, 3-3.6 cm wide, golden yellow when ripe. |
| Type location: |
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| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | saponaria: soapy, referring to the fruit. These contain a large amount of saponin, which, mashed with water produces a soapy lather formerly used for laundering clothes. |
| Habitat: | Planted along roads and in gardens or parks; occasionally escaping and becoming naturalized, mainly along roadsides or in exotic plantations. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Native from Mexico to Argentina; introduced and naturalized in Tropical Africa and part of Southeast Asia. |
| FZ divisions: | C |
| Growth form(s): | Tree. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 232. |
Other sources of information about Sapindus saponaria:
Our websites:
Flora of Burundi: Sapindus saponariaFlora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Sapindus saponaria
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Sapindus saponariaAfrican Plant Database: Sapindus saponaria
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Sapindus saponaria
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Sapindus saponaria
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Sapindus saponaria
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Sapindus saponaria
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Sapindus saponaria
JSTOR Plant Science: Sapindus saponaria
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Sapindus saponaria
Plants of the World Online: Sapindus saponaria
Tropicos: Sapindus saponaria
Wikipedia: Sapindus saponaria