Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Sapindus saponaria L.

jaboncillo, paraparo, chambimbe, soapberry, wingleaf soapberry, western soapberry

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Sapindales

Family
Sapindaceae

Genus
Sapindus

Species
saponaria

Taxon category: Accepted

Origin: Introduced - established

Introduction

Year of first record: 1891

Mode of introduction: Intentional

Introduction Pathway: Intentional

Subpathway: Agriculture/Horticulture

Introduced status: Naturalized

Invasive status: Invasive

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

References

  • Brako, L. Zarucchi,J.L. (1993) Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45: i–xl, 1–1286.
  • Chavez, J. (1993) Diagnostico de la Agricultura y la Ganader¡a en la Provincia de Galapagos. Tesis.
  • Guézou, A. Trueman, M., Buddenhagen, E., Chamorro, S., Guerrero, A.M., Pozo, P., Atkinson, R. (2010) An extensive Alien Plan Inventory from the Inhabited Areas of Galapagos Plos One/ www.plosone.org. Volume 5/ Issue 4/e10276
  • Itow, S. (1997) List of Plant Specimens collected in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Bulletin of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University, Natural Science, 38 (1): 53-144.
  • McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
  • Nowak, J.B. Lawesson, J., Adsersen, H., de Vries, T. (1987) Dos años de estudio de la dinámica de la vegetación posterior al incendio en el sur de Isabela, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador. Memorias. Taller sobre Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 139-153.
  • Prado Erazo, G.E. (1986) Informe preliminar, Censo de especies arboreas introducidas en la zona agricola de la isla Santa Cruz. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished, typescript CDF library
  • Robinson, B.L. (1902) Flora of the Galapagos Islands. Papers from the Hopkins-Stanford Expedition to the Galapgaos Islands. Proc. Amer. Acad. 38(4): 78-270.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
  • Schofield, E.K. (1971) Field Guide to Some Common Galápagos Plants. Lindblad Travel, Inc., NY: 1-42.
  • Stewart, A. (1911) A botanical survey of the Galápagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4th Series, 1: 7-288.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Sapindus saponaria", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=739. Accessed 31 October 2026.