Sapindus Explained

Sapindus should not be confused with Soapnet.

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 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".^[1]

The leaves are alternate, 15- 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 1cm-2cmcm (00inches-01inchescm) in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one to three seeds.

Uses

The drupes (soapnuts) contain saponins, which have surfactant properties, having been used for washing by ancient Asian and American peoples.^{[2] [3]} A number of other uses for Sapindus have also been reported such making arrows from the wood and decorative objects from the seeds.^[4]

Folk medicine

Leaf and fruit extracts of Sapindus have historically been used in folk remedies to treat various conditions.^[5]

Insecticide

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.^[6]

Dyeing agent

Soapnut is used as a dyeing agent for coloring the yarn of Tussar silk and cotton.^[7]

Species

The number of species is disputed between different authors, particularly in North America where between one and three species are accepted., Plants of the World Online includes:^[8]

1. Sapindus chrysotrichus (southern Vietnam)
2. Sapindus delavayi (China, India)
3. Sapindus drummondii (USA: Arizona to SE. Colorado and Louisiana)
4. Sapindus emarginatus (Southern Asia)
5. Sapindus lippoldii (Cuba)
6. Sapindus mukorossi – Indian Soapberry (India and the Himalayas east to Indochina and Japan)
7. Sapindus oahuensis – Lonomea (Kauaʻi and Oʻahu, Hawaii)
8. Sapindus rarak (Southeast Asia)
9. Sapindus saponaria - 4 subspecies, previously considered as 2:
   1. "S. s. var. drummondii" (Hook. & Arn.) L.D.Benson – Western Soapberry (southwestern US, Mexico) is S. drummondii
   2. S. s. var. saponaria – Wingleaf Soapberry (southeastern US, Caribbean, island of Hawaiʻi, Central, South America);
      Sapindus marginatus Willd. – Florida Soapberry - included here.
10. Sapindus sonlaensis (Sơn La, NW Vietnam)
11. Sapindus tomentosus - China
12. Sapindus trifoliatus L. – South India Soapnut or Three-leaf Soapberry: Southern India, Pakistan (synonym S. laurifolius Vahl = "Ritha")
13. Sapindus vitiensis A.Gray (American Samoa, Samoa, Fiji)^[9]

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.)

External links

• • • Flora of India: Sapindus
• Flora of Pakistan: Sapindus
• Flora of China: Sapindus species list

Notes and References

1. Book: Quattrocchi, Umberto . CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology . IV R-Z . 2000 . Taylor & Francis US . 978-0-8493-2678-3 . 2381.
2. Book: Austin, Daniel F. . Florida Ethnobotany . CRC Press . 2004 . 978-0-8493-2332-4 . 601–603.
3. Highly potent anti-leishmanial derivatives of hederagenin, a triperpenoid from Sapindus saponaria L. . European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry . November 2016 . 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.08.030 . Rodríguez-Hernández . Diego . Barbosa . Luiz C.A. . Demuner . Antonio J. . De Almeida . Raquel M. . Fujiwara . Ricardo T. . Ferreira . Sebastião R. . 124 . 153–159 . 27569196 .
4. Soapberry (Sapindus) in Arizona . Phytoneuron . November 2020 .
5. Upadhyay A, Singh DK . 2012 . Pharmacological effects of Sapindus mukorossi . Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo . 54 . 5 . 273–280 . 10.1590/s0036-46652012000500007. 22983291 . free .
6. Web site: Soapnut, a mosquito repellent. Down To Earth.
7. Sapindus emarginatus Vahl as a natural scouring agent in dyeing of cotton with Carissa carandas leaf extract. Deshmukh. Anjali. Bansal. Lekhika. BioLife . 2. 2. 599–604. 2014. 2017-08-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170811101439/http://biolifejournal.com/327%20ANJALI%20DESHMUKH%20599-604.pdf.
8. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A331930-2 Plants of the World Online: Sapindus Tourn. ex L. (retrieved 24 February 2024)
9. Web site: GRIN Species Records of Sapindus . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2007-04-30 . 2010-11-01.