Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Sapindales

Sapindaceae - Litchi family

Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002) Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa

Exell, A.W. (1966) Sapindaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2)

Vollesen, K. (1989) Sapindaceae Flora of Ethiopia 3

Description of the family

Trees, shrubs or climbers, sometimes with tendrils (Cardiospermum and Paullinia). Stipules 0 (but present in Cardiospermum). Leaves alternate, mostly compound, a few simple (Dodonaea and Pappea); rhachis sometimes winged. Inflorescence usually a thyrse but flowers sometimes fasciculate. Sepals usually 4-5, often ± connate. Petals 0-5. Disk present (0 in Dodonaea). Stamens usually 5-12, reduced, rarely 0 in female flowers. Ovary of 2-8 carpels. Style 1. Fruit a capsule or fleshy and indehiscent or composed of 1 or more indehiscent cocci. Seeds often with a fleshy arillode.

Worldwide: 131 genera and 1,450 species, tropical and warm areas with a few in temperate zones.

Zimbabwe: 10 cultivated genera and 11 cultivated taxa.

No image of a cultivated species but there is an image of a native or naturalised species

Links to cultivated genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Atalaya BlumeDescription
Cardiospermum L.Description
Cupaniopsis Radlk.Description
Dodonaea Mill.Description
Filicium Thwaites ex Benth.Description
Koelreuteria Laxm.Description
Lepisanthes BlumeDescription
Litchi Sonn.Description
Paullinia L.Description, Image
Sapindus L.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Sapindaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Sapindaceae
Flora of Burundi: Sapindaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Sapindaceae
Flora of the DRC: Sapindaceae
Flora of Malawi: Sapindaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Sapindaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Sapindaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Sapindaceae
Flora of Zambia: Sapindaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Sapindaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Sapindaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Sapindaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Sapindaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Sapindaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Sapindaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Sapindaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Sapindaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Sapindaceae
Wikipedia: Sapindaceae
Plants of the World Online: Sapindaceae
Tropicos: Sapindaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants: Family page: Sapindaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/family.php?family_id=204, retrieved 31 October 2024

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