Quillaja Explained

Quillaja is a genus of flowering plants, the only extant genus in the family Quillajaceae with two or three known species.^[1] It was once thought to be in the rose family, Rosaceae,^[2] but recent research shows it belongs in its own family. The inner bark of the soap bark tree (Q. saponaria) contains saponin, which is a natural soap. Members of this genus are trees that grow to about 25m (82feet).

Species

The species were revised by Luebert in 2014:^[3]

Image	Name	Distribution
	Quillaja brasiliensis (A.St.-Hil. & Tul.) Mart.	Brazil
	Quillaja saponaria Molina	central Chile in the forests of La Campana National Park and Cerro La Campana

Notes and References

1. Christenhusz, M. J. M. . Byng, J. W. . amp . 2016 . The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase . Phytotaxa . 261 . 201–217 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 . 3 . free .
2. Web site: Description and images of Quillaja saponaria (Quillay), a native Chilean plant, provided by the supplier of native exotic Chilean seeds . chileflora.com . 2014-06-11.
3. Luebert, F. . 2014 . The taxonomy and distribution of the genus Quillaja Molina (Quillajaceae . Feddes Repertorium . 124 . 4 . 157–162 . 10.1002/fedr.201400029 .