Costa Rica
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Tree Species (Scientific Name)
Sapindus saponaria
Product
English Common Name
Wingleaf soapberry, Soap Bush, Soap Nut Tree
Costa Rican Common Name
Chumico, jaboncillo
Tree Family
Sapindaceae
Average Leaf Size (cm)
35cm
Length
×
15cm
Width
Tree Height
Large (> 35m)
Elevational Range (m)
0–1500m
0 3000
Distribution
Native
Exotic
Native to Costa Rica

Native to

Region
Americas
Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Marquesas, Mexico, Mississippi (U.S.A.), Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Society Islands, South Carolina, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu Archipelago, Venezuela, Windward Islands
Costa Rica
Guanacaste, Puntarenas, San José

Exotic in

Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Comoros, Easter Island, Fiji, French Guiana, Galapagos, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf Of Guinea, Guyana, India, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Mali, Mauricio, Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuelan Antilles, Vietnam, Zaire

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System
Arabica
Coffee Impact
Beneficial to coffee
Cultivation
Planted
Natural
Regeneration
Regenerates Naturally
Tree Management
Propagated by seeds and seedlings.
Climate Change Adaptability
unknown

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses
  • Product

Product: Used for making soap.

Product: Used in the production of crafts.

Farm Services
  • Windbreak
  • Carbon Capture
  • Protection Of Water Bodies

Carbon capture: Capture and storage of atmospheric carbon.

Protection of bodies of water: Care and decontamination of waters.

Biodiversity Benefits
Yes

Attracts biological controllers, Attracts seed dispersers, Attracts pollinators

A tree that attracts birds of different species with its flowers and fruits. It can be planted in live fences and is an efficient wind barrier. Among the birds that feed on this tree are some blackbirds, tanagers and even seedeaters.

Citations

Citations

Plants of the World Online (POWO). (2024). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2024). IUCN Red List. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024). Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://plants.usda.gov/home

Román, F., De Liones, R., Sautu, A., Deago, J., & Hall, J. S. (2012). Guía para la propagación de 120 especies de árboles nativos de Panamá y el neotrópico. Retrieved from https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/20967/stri_GUIA_PROPAGACION.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

World Flora Online. (2024). World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024). GBIF. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/es

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