Sapindus saponaria L., Sapindaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cherry tart, sapindus, soap seed, soapberry, soaptree, wing-leaf soapberry

French: bois de panama, savonnier

Hawaiian: a‘e, mānele

Maori (Cook Islands): akeake

Other: cheritah

Spanish: jaboncillo

Tahitian: koku‘u

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Deciduous trees up to 25 m tall; bark pale brown, fissured and falling off in large scales from mature trees.  Leaves even-pinnately compound, leaflets 3-6 pairs, opposite or alternate, chartaceous, oblong-elliptic, slightly falcate, 6-16 cm long, 2-4.5 cm wide, upper surface glabrous, lower surface moderately tomentose to puberulent, margins entire, slightly undulate, apex acuminate, base rounded, rachis winged in young leaves, petioles 3-5 cm long.  Flowers in terminal, tomentose panicles to 10-20 cm long, pedicels 1-3.5 mm long; sepals unequal, outer ones ovate, 1.5-1.8 mm long, pubescent at least at base, inner ones suborbicular, ca. 2.5 mm long, pubescent, minutely ciliate; petals subequal, obovate to suborbicular-obovate, strongly concave, ca. 2 mm long, ciliate; staminal filaments ca. 1 mm long, pubescent at base; ovary 2-3-celled, glabrous; stigma lobes blunt.  Fruit of 1 (2-3) fleshy, globose mericarps 1.7-2 cm long, pericarp coriaceous.  Seed dark reddish brown to black, 1-1.2 cm long, testa without a tuft of hairs at base"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1229).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "scattered in mesic forest, 900-1,370 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1229). Moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 58).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Mexico and South America west across the Pacific Basin on a number of islands to New Caledonia, also in Africa" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1229).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (Rapa Nui Island) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 590)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	native	McCormack, Gerald (2008)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	native	McCormack, Gerald (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Wolf, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Clipperton Island	Clipperton (Arue, Avera) Island		Sachet, M.-H. (1962) (p. 93)
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 590)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Marquesas Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 590)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Bora Bora Island	probably native	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 262) Voucher cited: BRY 26089
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	probably native	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 262) Vouchers cited: Moore 406, BRY 26089
French Polynesia Society Islands	Society Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 590)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	probably native	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 262) Voucher cited: St. John 17383
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	probably native	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 262) Voucher cited: Grant 4360
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1229)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 590)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 127) Voucher cited: MacKee 42193
Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands	Pitcairn Island	native	St. John, H. (1987) (p. 40) Vouchers cited: St. John 15021, St. John & D. Anderson 15050, Fosberg 11331

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast and Florida) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Comments:  While considered to be native on a number of Pacific islands, it is thought to be introduced in the Galápagos Islands as it only occurs on inhabited and formerly inhabited islands (Chris Buddenhagen, pers. com.).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from "Common forest trees of Hawaii" (PDF format).

Additional online information about Sapindus saponaria is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Sapindus saponaria as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Sapindus saponaria may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Little, Elbert L./Skolmen, Roger G. 1989. Common forest trees of Hawaii (native and introduced). USDA Agriculture Handbook 679. Washington, D.C. 377 pp. + plates.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2008. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

McMullen, C. K. 1999. Flowering plants of the Galápagos. Comstock Pub. Assoc., Ithaca, N.Y. 370 p.

Sachet, M.-H. 1962. Geography and land ecology of Clipperton Island. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 86. Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, Washington. 115 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

St. John, H. 1987. An account of the flora of Pitcairn Island with new Pandanus species. Honolulu, 65 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Wiggins, I. L./Porter, D. M. 1971. Flora of the Galapágos Islands. Stanford University Press. 998 pp.