Soapberry tree

Description:

Western soapberry is most easily identified by its grayish or tan bark and dusky green, alternate, once-pinnately compound leaves bearing up to 18 leaflets or pinnae. The small white flowers are formed on dense panicles and later produce translucent one-seeded amber-colored berries. The wood is yellow.

Habitat:

Area near parking lot at entrance to Miller Spring Park.

Notes:

Western soapberry (Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii) takes its name from the Latin sapo (soap) and indicus (Indian), alluding to the use of soap, in the form of saponins, or plant-derived soaps, by Native Americans and later on by European settlers. The Spanish name for it is jaboncillo, meaning “little soap.” The varietal name honors Thomas Drummond, Scottish naturalist, one of the earliest scientific collectors of Texas plants in the 1830s. Soapberries are members of a mostly tropical plant family, the Sapindaceae. Western soapberry is known throughout its range (Arkansas to Arizona) for its use not only as soap but also as a treatment for fever, rheumatism and kidney problems. The inner bark has been used in home medical remedies and as an astringent. Western soapberry wood splits easily into thin strips that can be used to make frames, boxes and baskets. In the past, the wood was used for cotton baskets, crates, packsaddles and fuel. Today, soapberries are marketed as a gentle substitute for lye-based commercial soaps. Beware: Some people are allergic to soapberries.