Familia Sapindaceae

SAPINDACEAE

Morphological description

Woody, non-climbing (see notes). Sometimes herbaceous climber (Cardiospermum*); leaves bipinnate (Tristiropsis); pseudo-stipules (Lepisanthes, Pometia, Rhysotoechia); leaves simple, glandular, fruits winged (Dodonaea); leaves trifoliolate (not always) (Allophylus, Atalaya, Paranephelium); leaves with black glands below (Xerospermum); leaves imparipinnate (some Lepisanthes, Paranephelium, Sapindus). 

Leaves

Leaves spiral. Leaves usually paripinnate, leaflets alternate, rachis tip free, exstipulate. Sometimes leaves bipinnate (Tristiropsis); pseudo-stipules (Lepisanthes, Pometia, Rhysotoechia); leaves simple, glandular, fruits winged (Dodonaea); leaves trifoliolate (not always) (Allophylus, Atalaya, Paranephelium); leaves with black glands below (Xerospermum); leaves imparipinnate (some Lepisanthes, Paranephelium, Sapindus).

Inflorescence

Inflorescence.

Flowers

Flowers ovary superior, stamens free; usually unisexual, plants monoecious or dioecious; disk extrastaminal; style excentric; petals with appendages inside; ovary 3-locular, 1 ovule per cell.

Fruit

Sometimes fruits winged (Dodonaea).

Seed

Seed with fleshy sarcotesta or aril.

Different from: Anarcardiaceae: black sap, resinous ducts with on the outside wavy sclerenchymatous ring in bark. — Burseraceae: resinous, leaves imparipinnate, 2 ovules per cell, wavy ring as in Anacardiaceae. — Meliaceae: stamens united, leaves rarely ending in free rachis tip. 

Distribution: The family world-wide, but chiefly tropical. In Malesia 37 genera, incl.: - Allophylus (pantropical), shrubs; primary and secondary rain forest; - Dodonaea (pantropical, chiefly Australia), shrubs, trees, open places in lowland and montane rain forest; - Harpullia (Indo-Australia), trees; rain forest; - Lepisanthes (Indo-Malesia), treelets, lowland rain forest; - Nephelium (Indo-Malesia), trees; lowland rain forest, often planted; - Pometia (Indo-Malesia, Pacific), trees; lowland rain forest; - Xerospermum (Indo-Malesia), trees; lowland rain forest.

Notes: The family is well represented in Malesian lowland rain forest; the fruits of many species are eaten by various animals. Apart from the introduced Cardiospermum none of the Malesian members is climbing, whereas the large South American genera Paullinia and Serjania are lianas. — Several species useful for man: edible fruits: Blighia*, Dimocarpus, Glenniea, Lepisanthes, Litchi* (p.p.), Nephelium, Pometia, Xerospermum; timber: Pometia; ornamental: Filicium*, Lepisanthes; cleaning: Sapindus.

Literature: L. Radlkofer, Pflanzenreich Heft 98 (1931-34); S.K. Yap, Tree Fl. Mal. 4 (1989) 434-461; F. Adema, P.W. Leenhouts & P.C. van Welzen, Fl. Males. I, 11 (1994) 419-768; Tree Fl. Sabah & Sarawak 2 (1996) 263-374.

Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Sapindaceae 25, 30, 41, 56, 58, 82, 89, 91, 104 - Allophylus 48 - Amesiodendron 101 - Atalaya 98 - Cardiospermum 4 - Cubilia 95 - Dictyoneura 40 - Dimocarpus 31, 95 - Dodonaea 22, 26, 59, 98 - Filicium 40 - Ganophyllum 248 26 - Glenniea 94 - Guioa 40, 59, 98, 101 - Harpullia 40, 101; H. myrmecophila 9 - Jagera 10, 29, 46 - Lepisanthes 37, 40, 70, 101 - Litchi 28, 95 - Mischocarpus 59 - Nephelium 21, 95 - Paranephelium 95, 101 - Pometia 21, 31, 37 - Sapindus 40 - Sarcopteryx 59, 98 - Schleichera 27, 95 - Trigonachras 31, 101 - Tristira 98 - Tristiropsis 50 - Xerospermum 31, 95 - Zollingeria 98.

Illustrations: Fig. 150. Guioa pleuropteris (Blume) Radlk.: a. fruiting branch; b. petal; c. fruit. 249 Fig. 151. Dimocarpus dentatus Leenh.: a. fruiting branch; b. inflorescence; c. fruit; d. seed; e. detail of leaf.

APG IV includes in the Sapindaceae the former families Aceraceae (Acer) and Hippocastanaceae.

Images in PoWo for Sapindaceae

 

 

%LABEL% (%SOURCE%)