Figure 3 - uploaded by Daniel M. McNair
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Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii in Arizona. A. Summer leaf colors, looking up into a thicket canopy. B. Typical fall leaf colors. C. Close-up of winged leaf rachis, present but not as pronounced as others in the genus (note: some leaves lack a winged rachis). D. Typical bark of older trees. E. Flowers and leaves. F. Close-up of flowers with petals measuring approximately 2 mm long. G. Opaque (immature) green fruits approximately 1-1.5 cm long. H. Translucent (mature) amber-colored fruits approximately 1 cm long. I. Reddish-black seeds approximately 0.75 cm long.
Source publication
Physical characteristics of western soapberry, Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii, are illustrated to facilitate their identification and conservation in Arizona. Larger thickets, composed of hundreds to thousands of tightly clustered trees, usually occur in riparian or riparian-adjacent areas, though soapberry trees and shrubs occur in a variety o...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... importance of the genus Sapindus may be reflected in the variety of names applied to it, including but not limited to abolillo, amole, amolillo, att-dtok-ko-ai-od-la, boliche, cherioni, chirrión, guayul, jaboncillo, mata muchacho, palo blanco, soapnut, and wingleaf soapberry (SEINet 2020;BRIT 2020;GBIF 2020). The smooth black seeds of soapberry ( Fig. 3) can be polished and used to make beads. The seeds also contain high concentrations of saponins, detergent-like chemicals used to make soap. Medical applications of the chemicals found in soapberry for a range of skin and other conditions have been the subject of several recent studies (Albiero et al 2002; Tsuzuki et al. 2007;García et ...
Context 2
... of soapberry (Figs. 3-4) might be confused with other native and naturalized trees and shrubs with compound leaves, including chinaberry (Melia azedarach), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), walnut (Juglans major), and ash (Fraxinus spp.). The fruits of soapberry are particularly similar in size and color to the fruits of ...
Context 3
... Both Melia (Meliaceae) and Sapindus (Sapindaceae) belong to the order Sapindales and have compound leaves and panicled inflorescences. Confusingly, both Melia and Sapindus have been called by the common name "chinaberry." A helpful point of distinction between the two species is that the tissue of soapberry fruits becomes translucent with age ( Fig. 3), while the mature fruits of chinaberry remain ...
Citations
... Trees can reach 26 m tall, but small trees as tall as 6 m may be fertile. At least five species have been observed to be clonal from horizontal underground spread, S. drummondii (Simpson 1988, Gilman & Watson 1994, McNair & Andresen 2020, S. marikuru (J.-F. Butaud, pers. ...
... obs.). The flowers have a mild, pleasant aroma, and their nectar and pollen are fed upon by a variety of bees, butterflies, flies, and wasps (Subba Reddi et al. 1983, Tripathi & Parikh 1983, Schmidt 2004, McNair & Andresen 2020pers. obs.). ...
... The hairiness of the rest of the leaflet can vary from otherwise glabrous to pubescent throughout. Plants are often clonal (Simpson 1988, Gilman & Watson 1994, McNair & Andresen 2020. The taxon has been called dioecious (Simpson 1988), but probably the trees are duodichogamous and Simpson (1988) observed only one sexual phase. ...
Sapindus (Sapindaceae) consists of 13–20 species of trees that are well known for their soap-making properties and the utility of their hard, spheroidal seeds for ornament or games. Section Sapindus has the most wide-ranging distribution within the genus, native to the Americas, Asia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. The number of species recognized in sect. Sapindus has ranged from only one species (S. saponaria) in several treatments to as many as seven species in Radlkofer’s monograph of the family. Undertaking a revision of Sapindus sect. Sapindus, over 1000 herbarium specimens were studied (physically or digitally) and four species were studied in in the field and/or in cultivation. Within sect. Sapindus, 12 species are here recognized, including three newly described species (S. marikuru, S. motu-koita, and S. standleyi), one new combination (S. tricarpus), one new subspecies (S. saponaria subsp. jardinianus), and one new variety (S. drummondii var. glabratus). Oceanic and animal-mediated dispersal are likely responsible for the wide distribution of sect. Sapindus, and human-aided dispersal is probably much more limited than has been suggested by prior authors. The native distribution of S. saponaria subsp. saponaria is emended to include only southern Florida (USA), Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, South America, and the Galápagos. Another two species of Sapindus from Vietnam that cannot confidently be assigned to any one section of Sapindus are briefly discussed.
