Bark
The bark is generally dark to pale yellow or greyish-brown. It is relatively smooth in texture.
Sapindus trifoliatus
Syn. Sapindus laurifolius
IUCN Red List
Data Deficient
(DD)
Local name
- South India Soapnut (English)
- Phenil (Hindi)
- Arithi (Gujarati)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Sapindaceae
25m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Alternate pinnate large, compound and evergreen foliage.
Flower
Small, greenish-white, or dingy white, and often described as having a velvety or rusty pubescent appearance.
Fruit / Seeds
Small, round, fleshy drupes that grow in clusters, changing from yellowish-orange to dark brown when mature. Smooth, hard, black.
Did you know?
Its fruits contain saponins, natural compounds that produce foam in water— hence their traditional use for washing hair and clothes.
Distribution
Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar, Kenya, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda