Sapindaceae

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Sapindaceae

Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s in the order Sapindales

Sapindales

Sapindales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. Well-known members of Sapindales include citrus; maples, Horse-chestnut s, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; and mahogany....
. There are about 140-150 genera with 1400-2000 species, including maple

Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae....
, horse chestnut

Aesculus

The genus Aesculus, the buckeyes and Horse Chestnuts, comprises 13-19 species of woody trees and shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere, with 6 species native to North America and 7-13 species native to Eurasia; there are also several Hybrid ....
and lychee

Lychee

The Lychee , also spelled Litchi or Laichi and Lichu, Chinese language: ??, Hanyu Pinyin: L?zhi, is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family Sapindaceae....
.

Sapindaceae members occur in temperate to tropical regions throughout the world. Many are lactiferous, i.e. they contain milky sap

Sap

Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Baton #Blackjack, another word for a blackjack, an easily concealed Club ....
, and many contain mildly toxic

Toxicity

Toxicity is the degree to which a substance is able to damage an exposed organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver ....
saponin

Saponin

Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species....
s with soap

SOAP

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Encyclopedia

Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
of flowering plant

Flowering plant

Sapindales

Maple

Aesculus

Lychee

Sap

Toxicity

Saponin

Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species....
s with soap

SOAP

SOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks....
-like qualities in either the foliage and/or the seeds, or roots. The largest genera are Serjania
Serjania

Serjania is a genus of plant in family Sapindaceae. It contains the following species :* Serjania brevipes, George Bentham* Serjania pteleifolia, Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels...
, Paullinia
Paullinia

Paullinia is a genus of shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean....
, Acer
Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae....
and Allophyllus.

The largely temperate genera formerly separated in the families Aceraceae

Aceraceae

Aceraceae is a family of flowering plants also called the Maple Family. It contains two to four genera, depending upon the circumscription, of some 120 species of trees and shrubs....
(Acer, Dipteronia
Dipteronia

Dipteronia is a genus of two living and one extinct species, regarded in the soapberry family Sapindaceae sensu lato after Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and more recently )or traditionally by several authors in Aceraceae, related to the maples....
) and Hippocastanaceae

Hippocastanaceae

Hippocastanaceae is the name given to a small group of trees and shrubs, when this group is treated as a familiy. Its most widespread genus is Aesculus ....
(Aesculus
Aesculus

The genus Aesculus, the buckeyes and Horse Chestnuts, comprises 13-19 species of woody trees and shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere, with 6 species native to North America and 7-13 species native to Eurasia; there are also several Hybrid ....
, Billia
Billia

Billia is a genus of two species of tree native to the Americas, from central Mexico to Ecuador. The wood is used in carpentry....
, Handeliodendron
Handeliodendron

Handeliodendron consists of a single species of deciduous tree/shrub native to China, and is classified as rare....
) were included within a more broadly circumscribed Sapindaceae by the APG

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group

The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to two international groups of systematic botany who came together to try to establish a consensus view of the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge in angiosperm relationships based upon molecular systematics studies....
. Recent research has confirmed the inclusion of these genera in Sapindaceae.

Characteristics

Plants of this family have a variety of habits, from tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s to herbaceous plants or liana

Liana

The liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest....
s. Their leaves usually spirally alternate, sometimes (in Acer
Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae....
, Aesculus
Aesculus

The genus Aesculus, the buckeyes and Horse Chestnuts, comprises 13-19 species of woody trees and shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere, with 6 species native to North America and 7-13 species native to Eurasia; there are also several Hybrid ....
, and a few other genera) opposite. They are most often pinnately compound

Leaf shape

In botany, the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaf:* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, sometimes palmately, or just palmate (Acer, Aesculus), with a petiole

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the small stalk attaching the leaf blade to the Plant stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem....
lacking stipule

Stipule

In botany, stipule is a term coined by Carolus Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk . A pair of stipules is considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many species the stipules are inconspicuous or entirely absent ....
s, but having a swollen base.

Flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are small and unisexual, or functionally unisexual, though plants may be either dioecious or monoecious. They are usually grouped in cyme

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches....
s grouped in panicle

Panicle

A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched Indeterminate growth inflorescence with Pedicel flowers attached along the secondary branches ....
s. They most often have four or five petal

Petal

A petal is one member or part of the Corolla of a flower. The corolla is the name for all of the petals of a flower; the inner perianth whorl, term used when this is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl and is used to attract pollinators based on its advertising coloration....
s and sepal

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Sepals in a "typical" flower are green and lie under the more conspicuous petals. As a collective unit the sepals are called the Wiktionary:calyx, and the collection of petals is called the Wiktionary:corolla....
s (petals are absent in Dodonaea
Dodonaea

Dodonaea is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the Sapindus family, Sapindaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia....
). The stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs, called sporangium....
s range from four to ten, usually on a nectar disc between the petals and stamen,their filaments are often hairy. The most frequent number is eight, in two rings of four. The gynoecium

Gynoecium

A gynoecium is the female reproductive part of a flower. The male counterpart is called an androecium. A gynoecium is composed of one or more pistils....
contains two or three carpels, sometimes up to six. There is usually only one style

Style

selfref|For the Wikipedia style guide, see...
with a lobed stigma

Stigma

Stigma may refer to:In biology:* Stigma , a small spot, mark, scar, or minute hole* In a flower , the stigma is the terminal portion of the gynoecium that has no epidermis and is meant to receive pollen....
. Most often pollinated

Pollination

Pollination in flowering plants and gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen, which contain the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself....
by birds

Pollinator

A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female carpel of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain....
or insects

Pollinator

Anemophily

Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind. Anemophilous plants may be either gymnosperms or angiosperms ....
.

The fruit

Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
s are fleshy or dry. They may be nut

Nut (fruit)

Nut is a general term for the large, dry, oily seed or fruit of some plant. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts....
s, berries, drupe

Drupe

Schizocarp

A schizocarp is a dry fruit that develops from multiple carpels. When mature it splits up into one-seeded mericarps. The mericarp is either:...
s, capsule

Capsule (fruit)

In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a dehiscent structure composed of two or more carpels, that, at maturity, split apart to release the seeds within....
s (Bridgesia
Bridgesia

Bridgesia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. The sole species, Bridgesia incisifolia, is a shrub native to South America in Chile....
), or samara

Samara (fruit)

A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent ....
s (Acer). The embryos are bent or coiled, without endosperm

Endosperm

Endosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain Vegetable oils and protein....
in the seed, but frequently with an aril

Aril

An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, or the mace of the nutmeg seed....
.

Classification

Sapindaceae are related to Rutaceae

Rutaceae

Rutaceae, commonly known as the Rue or Citrus family, is a family of plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents....
, and both are usually placed in an order Sapindales

Sapindales

Sapindales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. Well-known members of Sapindales include citrus; maples, Horse-chestnut s, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; and mahogany....
or Rutales, depending on whether they are kept separate and which name is used for the order. The most basal

Basal (phylogenetics)

In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group form an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
member appears to be Xanthoceras
Xanthoceras

Xanthoceras sorbifolium , the sole species in the genus Xanthoceras, is a flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to northern China in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Nei Monggol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shandong....
. Some authors maintain some or all of Hippocastanaceae

Hippocastanaceae

Hippocastanaceae is the name given to a small group of trees and shrubs, when this group is treated as a familiy. Its most widespread genus is Aesculus ....
and Aceraceae

Aceraceae

Paraphyly

In phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor Common descent but does not contain all the descendants of that ancestor....
. The former Ptaeroxylaceae, now placed in Rutaceae, were sometimes placed in Sapindaceae. The family is divided in 5 or 6 subfamily depending on treatment.

Notable species

Sapindaceae includes many species of economically valuable tropical fruit

Fruit

Lychee

Longan

The longan is a tropical tree native to southern China. It is also found in Southeast Asia. It is also called guiyuan in Chinese language, lengkeng in Indonesia, mata kucing in Malaysia, nh?n in Vietnamese , Mora in Sinhalese and also "longan" in Tagalog language....
, pitomba

Talisia esculenta

Talisia esculenta is a medium-sized tree native to the Amazon Basin, and is found in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia. It can grow to a height of 9-20 m, with a trunk up to 45 cm diameter....
, korlan

Korlan

The Korlan is a tree in the family Sapindaceae and the fruit of this tree. It is closely related to several other tropical fruits including the lychee, longan, rambutan, and mamoncillo....
, rambutan

Rambutan

The rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is native to Indonesia and Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown....
, mamoncillo

Mamoncillo

The mamoncillo , also known as mam?n , chenet , guaya, gnep, ginep, skinnip genip, guinep, ginnip, ken?p , quenepa , ackee and Spanish lime, limoncillo , is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalised over a wide area of t...
and ackee

Ackee

The Ackee or Akee is a member of the Sapindaceae , native to tropical West Africa in Cameroon, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo....
. Other products include Guarana

Guarana

Guarana from the Portuguese language: guaran? , Paullinia cupana , is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil....
, soapberries

Sapindus

Sapindus is a genus of about five to twelve species of shrubs and small trees in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and New World....
and maple syrup

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is a sweetener made from the sap of maple trees. In Canada and the United States it is most often eaten with waffles and pancakes. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in baking, the making of candy, preparing desserts, or as a sugar source and flavoring agent in making beer....
.

Some species of Maple

Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae....
and Buckeye

Buckeye

Buckeye may refer to:* Several tree species of the genus Aesculus* Ohio State Buckeyes, the intercollegiate athletic teams of The Ohio State University...
are valued for their wood, while several other genera, such as Koelreuteria
Koelreuteria

Koelreuteria is a genus of three species in the family Sapindaceae, native to southern and eastern Asia.They are medium-sized deciduous trees growing to 10-20 m tall, with spirally arranged pinnate or bipinnate leaf....
, Cardiospermum and Ungnadia, are popular ornamentals

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, Plant stem and bark....
. Schleichera trijuga is the source of Indian macassar oil

Macassar oil

Macassar oil is a compounded Vegetable fats and oils used primarily by men in Victorian era and Edwardian times as a hair oil.Macassar oil is often made with coconut oil or palm oil combined with ylang-ylang oil and other fragrant oils....
. Saponin

Saponin

Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species....
s extracted from the drupe

Drupe

In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovary....
of Sapindus
Sapindus

Sapindus is a genus of about five to twelve species of shrubs and small trees in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and New World....
species are effective surfactant

Surfactant

Surfactants are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lower the interfacial tension between two liquids....
s and are used commercially in cosmetics

Cosmetics

Cosmetics are substances used to enhance or protect the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care Cream , lotions, Powder , perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubb...
and detergent

Detergent

A detergent is a material intended to assist cleaning. The term is sometimes used to differentiate between soap and other surfactants used for cleaning....
s.