This is a list of genera in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, which includes the soapberries (Sapindus), maples (Acer), and paullinias, amongst others. As currently circumscribed, the family contains approximatively 1900 species into over 140 genera classified into 4 subfamilies.
Phylogeny and circumscription The circumscription of Sapindaceae encompasses the former Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae families as tribes in subfamily Hippocastanoideae. Although the classification at subfamilial level is fairly well-established, the circumscription at tribal and generic level remains only partially resolved, especially in the larger subfamily Sapindoideae, which has led the most recent revision to treat the majority of these genera without placing them in a tribe. Another recent study hints at even more incongruity between traditional circumscription and molecular evidence.
Changes have included the synonymization of Distichostemon with Dodonaea, and Neotina and Tinopsis with Tina. Additionally, not all authors agree about the broad circumscription that ensues from placing Xanthoceras as the sister group to the three traditional families as the resulting Sapindaceae sensu lato, unlike the traditional families, is difficult to characterize. As a result, the elevation of Xanthoceroideae to family level was proposed, which would have removed six genera from Sapindaceae and Hippocastanoideae.
This list follows the updated classification of Buerki et al.
Subfamily Dodonaeoideae Tribe Dodonaeae (Kunth) DC. (1824). Type genus: Dodonaea
ArfeuilleaThe genus might not be distinct from Majidea Radlkofer (1 Species; Thailand and Laos) Averrhoidium Baill. (4 Species; Mexico, Tropical South America) Boniodendron (2; southern China and Vietnam) Conchopetalum (2; Madagascar) Cossinia (3; Mauritius, New Caledonia) Diplokeleba (2 species; South America) Diplopeltis (5 species; Australia) Dodonaea (60+ species; Pantropical) EuchoriumBecause its fruit has not been described in the literature, this genus' tribal placement is not entirely clear (1 species; Cuba) EuphorianthusA replacement name for Radlkofer's own Euphoriopsis (Actes Congr. Bot. Amsterdam 1877:128, 1877) which was preoccupied by a genus of fossil Sapindaceae named by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (Sapind. Foss. Monogr.:12, 1852). (1; Eastern Malesia) Harpullia (26; India and China to Australasia) Hirania (1; Somalia) Llagunoa (3-4; Andes) Loxodiscus (1; New Caledonia) Magonia Not Hist. Pl. Remarq. Brésil:239: although the title page for that work gives the year of publication as 1824, the relevant part was not issued before late 1825 (Stafley & Cowan, Taxon. Lit., ed. 2 4:1067). (1;Saint-Hilaire originally described two species, now treated as one, but a generic type has yet to be defined. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay) Majidea (4-5; Africa and Madagascar)
Tribe Doratoxyleae Radlk. 1890. Type genus: Doratoxylon
Doratoxylon (6 species; Mauritius, Madagascar) Exothea (3; West Indies, Central America) FiliciumThwaites had originally (Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 6:65. 1854) named the genus Pterophyllum, but that name had already been applied by Siebold et Zuccarini to a genus of Papaveraceae in 1843 (Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 3(3):719). (3-4; Madagascar, East Africa to India, Sri Lanka) Ganophyllum (1-2; Paleotropics) Hippobromus (1; Africa) Hypelate (1; West Indies, Florida) Smelophyllum (1; Cape Provinces of South Africa) Zanha (23; Southern Africa, Madagascar)
Incertae sedis †Wehrwolfea (1; Ypresian, Princeton Chert)
Subfamily Hippocastanoideae Tribe Acereae (Durande) Dumort. (1827). Type genus: Acer Acer (120+; Northern hemisphere) Dipteronia (2; China)
Tribe Hippocastaneae (DC.) Dumort. (1827). Type genus: Aesculus Aesculus (13; Temperate Northern hemisphere) Billia (2; Mexico to South America) Handeliodendron (1; China)
Subfamily Sapindoideae
Tribe Athyaneae Acev.‐Rodr. (2017). Type genus: Athyana Athyana (1; Peru, Bolivia, Argentina) Diatenopteryx (2; Southern South America)
Tribe Blomieae Buerki & Callm. (2021). Type genus: Blomia Blomia (1; Mexico, Guatemala and Belize)
Tribe Bridgesieae Acev.‐Rodr. (2017). Type genus: Bridgesia Bridgesia (1; Chile)
Tribe Cupanieae Blume (1857). Type genus: Cupania
Alectryon (25; Malesia, Australasia and Micronesia) Arytera (c. 28; India, Southeast Asia to Australasia) Castanospora (1; Australia) Cnesmocarpon (1; Australia, Papua New Guinea) Cupania (c. 50; Neotropical) Cupaniopsis (60; Malesia to Australasia) Dictyoneura (2–3; Malesia, Philippines, Australia) Diploglottis (12; Australia, Papua New Guinea) Elattostachys (c. 20; Malesia, Australasia) Eurycorymbus (1 species; China) Gloeocarpus (1; Philippines) Gongrodiscus (3; New Caledonia) Gongrospermum (3; Philippines) Guioa (c. 64; Southeastern Asia to Australasia) Jagera (2; Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia) Lecaniodiscus (2; Tropical Africa) Lepiderema (8; Australia, New Guinea) Lepidocupania (21; western tropical Pacific)Sven Buerki, Jérôme Munzinger, Porter P. Lowry II, Martin W. Callmander "Two new genera of Sapindaceae (Cupanieae) from the southern Pacific: Lepidocupania and Neoarytera," Candollea, 75(2), 269-284, (29 October 2020) Lepidopetalum (6; Malesia, Australia) Matayba (c. 50; Neotropical) Mischarytera (3; Australia, Papua New Guinea) Mischocarpus ( (c. 15; Southeastern Asia to Australia) Molinaea (c. 10; Madagascar and Mascarenes Islands) Neoarytera (4; New Caledonia and Vanuatu) Pentascyphus (1; French Guiana, Surinam, Brazil) Podonephelium (4; New Caledonia) Rhysotoechia (c. 14; Australia, Malesia) Sarcopteryx (12-13; Australia, Moluccas, New Guinea) Sarcotoechia (c. 11; Australia, Moluccas, New Guinea) Scyphonychium (1; Brazil, French Guiana) Storthocalyx (4; New Caledonia) Synima (2; Australia, New Guinea) Tina (19; Madagascar) Toechima (c. 8; Australia, New Guinea) Trigonachras (8; Non-Javanese Malesia & Lesser Sunda) Vouarana (2; Costa Rica to Brazil)
Tribe Guindilieae Buerki, Callm. & Acev.‐Rodr. (2021). Type genus: Guindilia Guindilia (3; Southern South America)
Tribe Haplocoeleae Buerki & Callm. (2021). Type genus: Haplocoelum Blighiopsis (1; Central Africa) Haplocoelum (c. 7; Tropical Africa and Madagascar)
Tribe Koelreuterieae Radlk. (1890). Type genus: Koelreuteria ErythrophysaArnott published the name as Erythrophila, which Otto Wilhelm Sonder later (Fl. Cap. 1:237, 1860) "corrected" to Erythrophysa. Nonetheless, the original spelling is correct under the ICBN (Vienna, 2005, art. 60); the need to conserved the corrected spelling was noted as early as 1962 (), but no formal proposal was published. (5; South Africa, Madagascar) Koelreuteria (c. 4; Eastern Asia) Stocksia (1; Near East, Afghanistan)
Tribe Melicocceae Blume (1847). Type genus: Melicoccus Dilodendron (3; Neotropical) Melicoccus (10; Dominican Republic, South America) Talisia (52; Southern Mexico to South America) Tripterodendron (1; Brazil)
Tribe Nephelieae Radlk. (1890). Type genus: Nephelium Aporrhiza (4–6; Tropical Africa) Blighia (3; Tropical Africa) Chytranthus (25+; Western tropical Africa) Cubilia (1; Malesia) Dimocarpus (6; Southern Asia to Australia) Glenniea (8; Paleotropical) Haplocoelopsis (1; Central and East Africa) Laccodiscus (c. 6; West Africa) Litchi The first book was published in several edition, the in-octavo edition, vol. 3, p. 255 is often cited. (1; Southeastern China to Malesia) Nephelium The Mantissa Plantarum (Mat. Pl.:125) is often also cited. This was a work published simultaneously as an appendix to volume 2 of the Systema Naturaes 12th and 13th editions. The link is to an online scan of the 13th edition (without the Mantissa), a page-for-page reprint done in Vienna missing only the third volume's errata. See Stafleu & Cowan (1981; Taxon. Lit. 3:106–108) for further details and references. (c. 16; Southeastern Asia to Malesia) OtonepheliumAccording to Acevedo-Rodríguez et al. , the difference from Dimocarpus is "doubtful". (1; Southern India) Pancovia (10–12; West Africa) Placodiscus (c. 10; Tropical Africa) Pometia (2; India and Pacific Islands) Radlkofera (1; Western Africa) Xerospermum (2; Bangladesh, Indochina to Eastern Malesia)
Tribe Paullinieae (Kunth) DC. (1824). Type genus: Paullinia Cardiospermum (15; Pantropical) Lophostigma (2; Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia) Paullinia (c. 190; Neotropics & Africa) Serjania (c. 230; Neotropics) Thinouia (c. 12; Central and South America) Urvillea (c. 15; Central and South America)
Tribe Sapindeae (Kunth) DC. (1824). Type genus: Sapindus Alatococcus (1; Brazil) Atalaya (12; South Africa, Australia, Malesia) Deinbollia (c. 38; Southern Africa, Madagascar, Mascarene) Eriocoelum (10+; Tropical Africa) Hornea (1; Mauritius) Lepisanthes (c. 24; Paleotropics, Australia) Porocystis (2; Brazil, French Guiana) Pseudima (1; Continental neotropics) Sapindus (c. 10; Circumtropical) Thouinidium (6;| Central America & Greater Antilles) Toulicia (12; South America) Tristira (1;| Philippines, Moluccas, Celebes) Zollingeria (3-4; Indochina, Borneo)
Tribe Schleichereae Radlk. (1890). Type genus: Schleichera Amesiodendron (1–3; Southern China to Sumatra) Paranephelium (4; Yunnan to Malesia) Pavieasia According to Stafleu & Cowan (1983; Taxon. Lit. 4:273), different copies may be bound differently. Other sources cite "1894" as the year of publication. (1–3; China) Phyllotrichum (1; Laos) Schleichera (1; Sri Lanka and India to Malesia) Sisyrolepis (1; Thailand & Cambodia)
Tribe Stadmanieae Buerki & Callm. (2021). Type genus: Stadtmannia Beguea (1; Madagascar) Camptolepis (4; East Africa, Madagascar) Chouxia (6; Madagascar) Gereaua (1; Madagascar) Macphersonia (8; Aldabra, Madagascar, West Tropical Africa) Pappea (1; Southern Africa) Plagioscyphus (c. 10; Madagascar) Pseudopteris (3; Madagascar) Stadtmannia (6; East Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius) Tsingya (1; Madagascar)
Tribe Thouiniaeae Blume (1847). Type genus: Thouinia Allophylastrum (1; Brazil, Guyana) Allophylus (211;Allophylus L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 27 October 2023.The definition of species in the genus is a difficult matter, and species number have ranged from 250 to a single polymorphic one. Since the latter proposal by Pieter Willem Leenhouts (Blumea 15(2):313. 1967), "no progress in an understanding of the systematic structure of Allophylus has been made" . Pantropical) Thouinia (c. 30; West indies, Central America)
Tribe Tristiropsideae Buerki & Callm. (2021). Type genus: Tristiropsis Tristiropsis (3; Malesia & Australasia)
Tribe Ungnadieae Buerki & Callm. (2021). Type genus: Ungnadia Delavaya The paper was issued in two part, the first (pp. 358–368) was included with the November 1886 issue containing proceedings of the society's July meeting. the rest was published in March 1887 alongside the proceedings of the November meeting (). (1; China) Ungnadia (1; Mexico, Texas)
Subfamily Xanthoceratoideae Xanthoceras This preprint eventually appeared as Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg Divers Savans 2:75–147 (1835). (1; China)
Incertae sedis Bizonula (1 species; Gabon) Chonopetalum (1; Equatorial Guinea) Gloeocarpus (1; tropical Africa) Gongrospermum (1; tropical Africa) Lychnodiscus (c. 7; tropical Africa) Namataea (1; Nigeria and Cameroon) Omalocarpus (1; Madagascar) Porocystis (2; Guianas and northern Brazil) Pseudopancovia (1; West Equatorial Africa)
Fossil genera A number of fossil genera have been placed within Sapindaceae, many being morphogenera and lacking subfamilial identification
Foliage morphogenera
†Aesculiphyllum (leaves) †Bohlenia (leaves) †Monopleurophyllum (leaves) †Negundoides (leaves) †Nephelites (leaves) †Sapindiphyllum (leaves) †Sapindophyllum (leaves)
Fruit and seed morphogenera †Cupanites (fruits) †Cupanoides (fruits) †Dodonaeaecarpum (fruits) †Dodonaeites (fruits)