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Sapindus trifoliatus L.

Family	:	Sapindaceae
Local Name	:	English -   Soapnut tree Malayalam – Soapinkaimaram
Flowering and Fruiting Period	:	December-April
Distribution	:	South Asia
Distribution  in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
Uses	:	Used in rheumatoid arthritis, gout and paralysis. Respiratory System
Key Botanical Characters: Trees, to 18 m high, bark 4-6 mm thick, greyish-brown; brittle or semi fibrous; branchlets lenticellate. Leaves paripinnate, alternate,. Flowers polygamous, greenish-white, 5-6 mm across, in axillary or terminal panicles; panicles densely pubescent. Sepals 5, pubescent outside, glabrous within, ovate, unequal, in 2 series, much imbricate. Petals 5,. Fruit a drupe, 16-18 mm across, globose, greenish-yellow, fulvous hairy when young, wrinkled when ripe; seeds 2-3, globose, black.