Sapindus
Genus of flowering plants in the lychee family
Sapindus is a genus of about thirteen species of shrubs and small trees in the maple and 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 or soapnuts because the pulp of the fruit is used to make soap and shampoo. The generic name is derived from the Latin words sapo, meaning "soap", and indicus, meaning "of India".
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 (0.4-0.8 in) in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one seed. Fossils date back to the Cretaceous.
01Ecology
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.
02Uses
The drupes (soapnuts) contain saponins, which have surfactant properties, being used for washing by ancient Asian and American peoples. A number of other uses for Sapindus have also been reported such as making arrows from the wood and decorative objects from the seeds.
Folk medicine
Leaf and fruit extracts of Sapindus have historically been used in folk remedies to treat various conditions.
Dyeing process
Soapnut is used as a scouring agent for preparation of coloring fibers such as the yarn of Tussar silk and cotton.
03Species
As of March 2026, Plants of the World Online includes 20 species:
- Sapindus balicus Radlk.
- Sapindus chrysotrichus Gagnep.
- Sapindus delavayi (Franch.) Radlk.
- Sapindus drummondii Hook. & Arn.
- Sapindus emarginatus Vahl
- Sapindus marginatus Willd.
- Sapindus marikuru A.R.Franck
- Sapindus motu-koita A.R.Franck
- Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.
- Sapindus oahuensis Hillebr. ex Radlk.
- Sapindus oocarpus Radlk.
- Sapindus rarak DC.
- Sapindus saponaria L.
- Sapindus sonlaensis H.M.Tam, N.K.Khoi, N.T.Cuong & T.B.Tran
- Sapindus standleyi A.R.Franck
- Sapindus thurstonii Rock
- Sapindus tomentosus Kurz
- Sapindus tricarpus (Blanco) A.R.Franck
- Sapindus trifoliatus L.
- Sapindus vitiensis A.Gray
Formerly placed here
- Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh. (as S. fruticosus Roxb.)
- Lepisanthes senegalensis (Juss. ex Poir.) Leenh. (as S. senegalensis Juss. ex Poir.)
- Lepisanthes tetraphylla (Vahl) Radlk. (as S. tetraphylla Vahl)
- Talisia cerasina (Benth.) Radlk. (as S. cerasinus Benth.)
- Talisia esculenta (A.St.-Hil.) Radlk. (as S. esculenta A.St.-Hil.)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Sapindus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sapindus marginatus.jpg by Unknown author, Public domain
- Soapnut as a natural dye.jpg by Sailesh Patnaik, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sapindus emarginatus in Hyderabad W IMG 4650.jpg by J.M.Garg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sapindus emarginatus in Hyderabad W2 IMG 4648.jpg by J.M.Garg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Western Soapberry.jpg by Rotareneg, CC BY 2.5
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.