Phenil / Soapnut Tree
Sapindus trifoliatus
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- October-April
How to identify Phenil
Identify Phenil by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Fruit rich in saponins, used as a natural soap, unusually trifoliate leaves.
- Confirm leaf type: Trifoliate (three leaflets).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Sapindaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Phenil.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sapindus trifoliatus
- Genus
- Sapindus
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Semievergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- South Asia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Phenil itself; the rest are typical of the Sapindaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Typical of the Sapindaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- फेनिल phenil, रिष्ट risht, रिष्टक rishtak
- Bengali
- ৰীঠা Ritha
- Tamil
- புனலை punalai, பூந்தி punthi, பூவந்தி puvanti
- Telugu
- కుంకుడుచెట్టు kunkuduchettu, ఫేనిలము phenilamu
- Kannada
- ಅಂಟುವಾಳ Antuvaala, ನೊರೆಕಾಯಿ Norekaayi, ಕೂಗಟೆ ಮರ Koogate mara
- Malayalam
- ചവക്കായ് cavakkaay, പശക്കൊട്ടമരം pasakkottamaram, ഉറുവഞ്ചി uruvanchi
- Marathi
- फेनिल phenil, रिंठी rinthi, रिठा ritha
About Phenil
A member of the Sapindaceae family, Soapnut Tree (Sapindus trifoliatus) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and 6 other states. It grows in semievergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from October to April.
Sapindaceae
Soapberry/Lychee family
Phenil belongs to the Sapindaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sapindaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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