72 



PLATE 89- 



SAPINDUS OBLONGIFOLIUS, Sender. 

 Natural Order, SAPINDACE^E. 



A shrub or small tree, 6-10 feet high, of erect habit, never branching from 

 lower part of stem ; the main root penetrating the ground to a depth of 6 feet or 

 more. Bark light brown, minutely rusty pubescent. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, 

 pinnate; common rachis from base to terminal leaflet, 12-16 inches long; to lowest 

 pair of leaflets, 3^-5 inches, swollen at base. Leaflets opposite or alternate, in 

 6-10 pairs, petiolulate, oblong, tapering to base and apex, obtuse or emarginate, 

 entire, coriaceous, glabrous, margin undulate, dark green, midvein prominent 

 beneath; 2-1-5 inches long, 1^-lf- wide; petiolules 1-1 lines long, rusty 

 pubescent in axils. Inflorescence paniculate, panicles 6-1 5 inches long, the main 

 branches of the panicle widely spreading, secondary ones short, all rusty pubescent. 

 Flowers fascicled along the whole length of the branches of the panicle. Male 

 Flowers; Calyx of 5 unequal sepals in two rows, outer row shortest; broadly 

 ovate, silky pubescent, ciliate, imbricate in bud, about half as long as petals. 

 Corolla of 5 hypogynous, oblong, ciliate, white petals 3 lines long, each with a 

 fringed petaloid scale on lower portion of inner face. Disk fleshy, cup-shaped. 

 Stamens 15, or rarely more, inserted on edge of disk, sub-exserted. Filaments 

 pilose, anthers 2 celled. Perfect Flowers. Calyx and corolla as in male. 

 Stamens similar in number, but with much shorter filaments, anthers containing 

 pollen. Ovary covered with rusty hairs, 1-3 carpelled. Style 1, central, stigma 

 minute. Fruit of 1 to 3 obovate or globose indehiscent 1 seeded carpels, 8 to 9 

 lines long, by 5-6 lines wide (unripe) green and pubescent when young, and sub- 

 glabrous when ripe. 



Habitat: NATAL: Coast districts generally. Berea, Wood 1917. 

 Drawn and described from specimens gathered at Berea, April, 1899. 



In the Flora Capensis, Vol. 1, page 240 this plant is described as dioecous, we 

 find, however, that it is certainly polygamous and plants which in one season bear 

 a large number of perfect flowers, in another season bear male ones only, or with 

 but very few perfect ones. The native name of the tree is Masibele, but it has no 

 useful properties, as far as known to us, but the ripe berries are eaten by children. 

 The genus includes 20 or more species, inhabiting tropical and subtropical regions, 

 and one or more of the species bear fruits the outer covering of which is used as a 

 substitute for soap, hence the generic name Sapindus, altered from Sapo-indicus 

 Indian soap. The jet black seeds of some of the species are used for making 

 rosaries, necklaces, &c. 



Fig. 1, Inflorescence and leaves, natural size; 2, Leaf; 3, Fruit, about natural 

 size ; 4, Male flower ; 5, Section of same ; 6, Section of perfect flower ; 7, Ovary, 

 style and stamens, calyx and petals removed ; 8, Cross section of ovary ; 9, Petals ; 

 10, Stamens of male flower; 11, Stamens of perfect flower; 12, Calyx opened; all 

 enlarged. 



Note. The fruits shown in the drawing are 1 -carpelled only, the other carpels 

 being abortive. 



