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 Cardiosper-mum 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.
Image in PhytoImages for Sapindaceae