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 pulp of the fruit is used to make soap and shampoo. The generic name is derived from the Latin words , meaning "soap", and , meaning "of India".
The leaves are alternate, long, pinnate (except in S. oahuensis, which has simple leaves), with 14âÂÂ30 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 in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one seed. Fossils date back to the Cretaceous.
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.
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.
Leaf and fruit extracts of Sapindus have historically been used in folk remedies to treat various conditions.
Soapnut is used as a scouring agent for preparation of coloring fibers such as the yarn of Tussar silk and cotton.
, Plants of the World Online includes 20 species: