Sapindaceae

Alternate, usually pinnately compound leaves on trees, shrubs, or tendril-climbers; small, often unisexual and slightly irregular flowers ripen into a fruit whose seed is wrapped in a bright, fleshy aril, as in lychee's edible flesh.

Many genera contain saponins — soap-like compounds in bark, fruit, or seed that froth when shaken with water, the trait that gives the family its name (soapberry).

To check whether a plant belongs to Sapindaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.