Florida Soapberry Sapindus marginatus 10 Seeds USA Company

Sapindus marginatus, commonly called the Florida Soapberry, is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree with an open-rounded crown. It is native to Florida and Georgia and it grows in woodlands and forests, often among live oaks and other hardwoods. It typically grows to 20-40' (infrequently to 80’) tall. It is noted for its (a) often glossy, pinnately-compound, medium green leaves (to 8-13” long) with 7-15 untoothed, lanceolate leaflets (each to 2-4” long), (b) creamy-white to yellowish-white flowers (1/8” wide) which bloom in late spring (May-June) in large open panicles to 10-12" long, (c) panicles of usually one-seeded, grape-like fruits which ripen in fall (September-October) to yellow-brown to orange-brown (d) yellow fall foliage color, and (e) fissured gray bark divided into scaly plates. The fruits are not edible. They can be put in water to produce a saponin-rich soapy lather which can be used as a soap, as suggested by the common name of soapberry. It is a rare and collectable plant.

Growing Instructions

1. Scarify the seeds by nicking or sanding the seed coat.
2. Soak the seed in water for 24 hours.
3. The seeds like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. Put the soil in a pot. Water the mixture so that it is moist but not wet.
4. Put the seeds on the soil.
5. Cover the seeds with a layer of soil about 1 inch thick.
6. Water the seeds.
7. Place the pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun or part shade.
8. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.