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Sapindus marginatus

Common name:	Soapberry	Family:	Sapindaceae
Author:	Willd.	Botanical references:	72
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The seed is poisonous[1]. The fruit is poisonous[149].
Range:	South-western N. America - Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Habitat:	Hammocks near the coast[72].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	S. saponaria var. saponaria[B,P] S. thurstonii[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Western Soapberry [E], Wingleaf Soapberry [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	marginatus = margined
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Soapberry family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 15m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from April to October, in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in November. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit[105, 177]. The fruit is eaten by native North American Indians, though most white people find it repulsive[105].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Soap Wood.

A soap is obtained from the fruit by rubbing the fruit in water[46]. Used in Mexico for washing clothes[227]. The fruit can be dried and stored for later use[169].
Wood - heavy, strong, close-grained, splits easily[46, 72]. It splits easily into thin strips and is often used in basket making[46].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy outdoors in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the mildest areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in any well-drained soil in full sun[220]. This species tolerates a wide range of soils, including those that are dry, stony and nutrient deficient[200].
Trees are relatively slow-growing in the wild[229].

Propagation

Seed - requires some cold stratification. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and sow in a cold frame in mid-winter. Move to a greenhouse in early spring. The seed should germinate in late spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in early summer.
Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Fairly good percentage[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Sapindus saponaria var. saponaria (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Sapindaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[72] Small. Manual of the Southeastern Flora.
Getting rather dated now, it covers Southeastern N. America. No pictures, it is not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[149] Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3
Fairly readable, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[220] Stapleton. C. Bamboos of Nepal The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1994 ISBN 0947643680
An excelllent little booklet that looks in some detail at the native bamboos of Nepal, including looking at their uses.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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