where it usually lives in lowlands, where it can reach a tremendous size. 
The Missouri state champion Shumard oak is in Big Oak Tree State Park 
in Mississippi County and is 118 feet tall with a trunk over five feet in 
diameter. The most spectacular Shumard oak at the Garden is along the 
walkway just south of the Museum Building. 
Shumard oaks and red oaks (Quercus rubra —see these along the 
walkway leading south from the Climatron area) can be confused. Shu- 
mard oaks have more strongly flared side lobes on the leaves; grayish, 
more or less hairless winter buds (vs. darker buds fuzzy toward the tips); 
and dull-surfaced acorn scales free at the tips (rather than glossy scales 
pressed tightly together at the tips). 
Quercus is an ancient, possibly originally Celtic, name for oaks. 
Shumardii means “ of Shumard”; Benjamin Franklin Shumard was a Texas 
State Geologist. 
See Map: U, 34 
SOAPBERRY 
Sapindus drummondii 
The most remarkable aspect of the 
soapberry is its natural distribution, the 
only Missouri representative of the 
otherwise overwhelmingly tropical 
Soapberry Family (Sapindaceae). The 
species extends from southwestern 
Missouri to Mexico on limestone ledges 
and glades. Representing the Soapberry 
Family well, Sapindus drummondii has 
large compound leaves and numerous, 
small (poisonous?) flowers in showy, 
complex clusters. Other members of the 
Soapberry Family are the golden-rain 
tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), yellowhorn 
(Xanthoceras sorbifolium—see one northeast of the Kaeser Maze at the 
Garden), and litchi (Litchi chinensis). 
Visit the Garden’s soapberry in the autumn to see the grapelike 
clusters of golden fruits glistening in the sunshine, but don’t touch. They 
can irritate the skin and are poisonous. Even so, soapberries are used in 
landscaping, mostly in the Southwest. They tolerate high winds, city life, 
and poor, alkaline soils. 
Sapindus is dubbed “soapberry” because the fruits contain soapy, 
lathering compounds known as saponins. In Mexico soapberries serve as 
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