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Soapberry

Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii

Other common name(s):

Western Soapberry

Family:

Sapindaceae (Soapberry Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Llano Estacado, Shinnery Sands
Semiarid Edwards Bajada
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Northern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

10
to
50
ft.

Spread

12
to
12
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Caliche, Acid, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Fall Color, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Drought, wind, and heat tolerant. Trees have few diseases or insect problems. Grows moderately fast and have beautiful fall color. An attractive and hardy tree, useful as a specimen or in groves. Can become a large tree in deep soil. In shallow soil it often remains a small tree. Propagation: Seed. Cuttings. Replaces invasive: Chinese Pistache.

Comments

Blooms May-June. Cream colored flowers appear in large clusters. Compound leaves. Fruit fleshy, round,, translucent, yellow turning darker with age. Sometimes remain on the tree until the next flowering season. Native Habitat: Stream banks; wood margins; rocky hillsides. Fruit poisonous to humans, but bluebirds love them. Larval Host: Soapberry Hairstreak.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Sapindus drummondii

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). 2) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 346-347.2. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SASAD. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Sapindus+saponaria+var.+drummondii&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=30546&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=530240#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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