Introduction of Soap Nut Trees

A medium sized deciduous tree upto 20m in height with grey smooth bark, peeling offin scales, leaves pinnate, leaflets 2-3 pairs,length 6-13cm, width 2-4cm, terminal pair being the largest, flowers white, polygamous, male flowers many, bisexual flowers few, all in the same pubescent panicle, fruits fleshy drupes,light yellow when fruit mature and the pulp becoming a saponaceous wrinkled rind on drying, seeds black.。Blooms in May-June, fruits mature in October.Wildly grow in hill area such as Guangdong,Guangxi and Fujian Province of China.

Based upon its high amount of 'soap' content and consistency, the highest quality soap nut is Sapindus Mukorossi, which grows primarily in China, northern India and Nepal. It grows uncultivated in poor quality ground and helps fights erosion. It also provides needed income to the local population. It is a relatively hardy tree being resistant to diseases and insects. The tree grows to 10 to 20 meters in height and begins flowering and bearing fruit after about 90 years.

It blooms with small, white grouped flowers in spring and early summer and is harvested annually during the fall season. The soapberry fruits (the soap nut) are round yellow berries that become gummy, reddish tan and wrinkled as they ripen. Its appearance is somewhat like that of a date. The tree synthesizes its own natural saponins, (soap) which coat the shell of the fruit. The tree has great longevity and will produce fruit (soap nuts) for about 90 years.And the lifetime can last as long as 200year.