USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



tend to give the suds a greenish tinge and a weedy 

 smell. This floral soap is not only perfectly cleans- 

 ing but leaves the skin soft and faintly fragrant. 

 It is a poetic sort of ablution, this bathing with a 

 handful of snowy blossoms plucked from a bush and 

 a little water dipped out of the brook, and revives 

 our faith in the Golden Age, when Nature's friendly 

 outstretched hand was less lightly regarded than 

 nowadays. Similiarly of use are the fresh, green 

 seed-vessels, though these often have a resinous 

 coating that is apt to cause a yellowish stain, if the 

 rinsing is not perfect. 



The cherished Balloon vine of our gardens does not 

 include soapiness among its charms, but it can at 

 least claim cousinship with some of the world's most 

 famous soap plants — namely, certain species of the 

 genus Sapindus, trees or shrubs native to the warmer 

 regions of both hemispheres. The name Sapindus 

 means ''soap of the Indies," where, as well as in 

 China and Japan, several species have been drawn 

 upon for detergent material from very early times, 

 and are still in favor for washing the hair and deli- 

 cate goods, such as silk. Within the limits of the 

 United States, three species are indigenous: Sap- 

 indus saponaria, L., abundant from Brazil to the 

 West Indies, finds a lodgment on the extreme south- 



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