CHA-PTtR V 

 BOTANY OF FOUR IMPORTANT SAPINDACEOUS FRUITS 



The sub-family Nephelieae of the family Sapindaceae has for 

 centuries provided the thickly populated regions of Southern Asia 

 and the East Indies with four popular and refreshing fruits. These 

 represent four distinct species which are grouped within three closely 

 related genera, one each in Litchi and Euphoria and two in 

 Nephelium. Each species is represented by a number of horticultural 

 varieties which have been popularized by the inhabitants of the 

 regions in which the fruits are grown. It is surprising that not one 

 of these four fruits has ever been commercially introduced into the 

 Western Hemisphere and that there is not found there a single 

 cultivated fruit belonging to this family. The four fruits herein 

 described should prove worthy introductions into any country where 

 climate and soil are adapted to their culture. 



Of the four fruits of this study the iychee is doubtless the 

 most widely known in foreign countries. As the dried, so-called 

 " Iychee nut " it is exported from China in considerable quantities. 

 Foreign residents of southern China, and visitors who come here in 

 the summer, always remember the Iychee as the one distinctive fruit 

 of this region. At no other place in the world, except to some 

 extent in India, is the Iychee grown as a commercial fruit. In 

 China, in the provinces of Fukien and Kwangtung, the cultivation of 

 the two sub-tropical species has developed into one of the largest 

 fruit industries of the nation. 



The family Sapindaceae includes among its species the com- 

 mon soapberry l and a large number of tropical and sub-tropical trees, 



1 The family Sapindaceae is commonly known as the soapberry family 

 and includes the genus Sapindtis. This name is said to be a contraction of 

 Sapo Indicus, Indian soap, which has reference to the saponaceous character 

 of the berries. The species found common in United States is S. acuminatus 

 Raf. A very common species in China is S. mukorosii Gaertn. commonly 

 known as Mu Huan (^C^,) or Wu Huan Tsu (^fc.lHr*) and widely used for 

 soap. Herbert A. Giles in his Chinese-English Dictionary, page 632, says 

 that the black seeds of this species are. used as charms to drive away demons 

 and their pulpy skin as a detergent. 



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