Everything about Sapindaceae totally explained
Sapindaceae, also known as the
soapberry family, is a
family of
flowering plants in the order
Sapindales. There are about 140-150 genera with 1400-2000 species, including
maple,
horse chestnut and
lychee.
Sapindaceae members occur in temperate to tropical regions throughout the world. Many are lactiferous, for example they contain milky sap, and many contain mildly
toxic saponins with
soap-like qualities in either the foliage and/or the seeds, or roots. The largest genera are
Serjania,
Paullinia,
Acer and
Allophyllus.
The largely temperate genera formerly separated in the families
Aceraceae (
Acer,
Dipteronia) and
Hippocastanaceae (
Aesculus,
Billia,
Handeliodendron) were included within a more broadly circumscribed Sapindaceae by the
APG. Recent research has confirmed the inclusion of these genera in Sapindaceae.
Characteristics
Plants of this family have a variety of habits, from
trees to
herbaceous plants or
lianas. Their leaves usually spirally alternate, sometimes (in
Acer, Aesculus, and a few other genera) opposite. They are most often
pinnately compound, sometimes palmately, or just palmate (
Acer,
Aesculus), with a
petiole lacking
stipules, but having a swollen base. The family is divided in 5 or 6 subfamily depending on treatment.
Notable species
Sapindaceae includes many species of economically valuable tropical
fruit, including the
lychee, the
longan, the
pitomba, the
korlan, the
rambutan, the
mamoncillo and the
ackee. Other products include
Guarana,
soapberries and
maple syrup.
Some species of
Maple and
Buckeye are valued for their wood, while several other genera, such as
Koelreuteria,
Cardiospermum and
Ungnadia, are popular ornamentals.
Schleichera trijuga is the source of Indian
macassar oil.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sapindaceae'.
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