SOAPBERRY

Soapberry (Sapindus saponaria). any member of the genus Sapindus, of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), comprising about 12 species of shrubs and trees native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, the Americas, and islands of the Pacific. The leaves are divided into leaflets, which are arranged along an axis. The flowers are greenish or whitish and borne in large terminal clusters. The fruit is a somewhat leathery berry containing as much as 37 percent saponin, which lathers with water and is used as soap in some tropical regions.