Sapindus emarginatus Vahl

 
  • Family : SAPINDACEAE
    (Soapberry Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : REETHA FAMILY (रीठा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Sapindaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Sapindus trifoliata sensu Hiern in FBI 1875, non L. 1753.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Sapindus emarginatus Vahl
  • Common name : Soapnut Tree
  • Vernacular name :
    • Ritha, Reetha (Hindi)
    • Kunkudu (Telugu)
    • Rentha, Maktamanji (Oria)
    • Ritha (Marathi)
    • Poovankottai, Puchaa, Pounanga (Tamil)
    • Chuvappukamaram, Pachakotta, Pasakottamaram, Soppinkaimaram, Soapumka, Uravanchi, Urungi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical dry deciduous forests and margins of grasslands
  • Comments / notes : Occasional in dry evergreen to semi-evergreen patches on hills up to 1000m
  • Key identification features : Fruit sparsely hairy, of 3 drupelets connate up to half their length
  • Flower, Fruit : February-December
  • Collector(s) Name : S.B.Manohar, B.Gurudev Singh; Cecil J. Saldanha
  • Collection Date : 19-03-1980, 20-09-1975
  • Collection Nos : KFP 11031, SJC 18719
  • Collection Locality : M.M.hills- Palar road, Mysuru district; Good Shepherd Convent, Bangalore
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Guntur district, Kurnool district, Prakasam district, Anantapur district, Kadapa district, West Godavari district, Srikakulam district
    • Kerala : Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Idukki district
    • Maharashtra : All districts of Maharashtra
    • Tamil Nadu : All districts of Tamil Nadu
    • Jharkhand :
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Andaman Islands
  • Native : Andaman Islands, India, Sri Lanka
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Andaman Islands, India, Sri Lanka
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • Indigenous Plants at Biodiversity Park, Ranchi - Ranchi Afforestation Division, Forest and Environmental Department, Jharkhand
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Sapindus emarginatus. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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