Sapindaceae is an interesting family that encompasses the familiar and the exotic, the temperate and the tropical. What could be more familiar than a maple tree? And what could be more exotic than a rambutan? One frequent characteristic is the presence of sticky sap, earning it the common name "soapberry family".
My childhood was filled with Norway maples (Acer platanoides) and Japanese maples (Acer palmatum). The native sugar maple (Acer saccharum) -- source of maple syrup -- was everywhere as well. Horse-chestnuts or buckeyes (Aesculus) were also around but didn't make an impression on me until I moved to California, where the California buckeye (Aesculus californica) puts on quite a display.
In California the Sapindaceae family presented me with other oddities, trees that were interesting to behold but served no other purpose beyond landscaping. These would include the carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) from Australia and the goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) from China.
At the exotic end of the spectrum this family is known for such strange fruits as the lychee (Litchi chinensis), longan (Dimocarpus longan), ackee (Blighia sapida), and rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum).
With this kind of diversity, encompassing nearly 2000 species, there should be a Sapindaceae plant for everyone.
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