Flower profile

Western soapberry

Sapindus drummondii

Western soapberry (Sapindus drummondii) is a shrub or small tree in the Sapindaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Western soapberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.

9states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

13,975U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Sapindus drummondii is a valid species of shrubs in the tribe Sapindeae. It has been recorded from Arizona to SE. Colorado and Louisiana and grows primarily in the temperate biome.
From Wikipedia's article Sapindus drummondii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Sapindaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Oklahoma. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 20 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 12,129 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #45 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 857 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #33 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (194 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	April–June	12,129
Oklahoma	Native	few records (3)	857

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: T5 See NatureServe for what T5 means. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2), MO (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: medium). Poisonous parts: fruits. Symptoms they list: “Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Western soapberry in 9 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Bandera, Bastrop, Bosque, Brazoria, Brewster, Brown, Burleson, Callahan, Cameron, Childress, Clay, Coleman, Collingsworth, Comal, Cottle, Crane, Culberson, Dallas, Deaf Smith, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Edwards, Ellis, Fannin, Fort Bend, Garza, Gillespie, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Hall, Harris, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Howard, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Karnes, Kerr, King, Lamb, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Motley, Newton, Oldham, Pecos, Presidio, Randall, Roberts, Robertson, Runnels, San Saba, Shackelford, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Val Verde, Waller, Wheeler.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Cimarron, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Garfield, Grady, Greer, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Oklahoma, Osage, Pottawatomie, Stephens, Tulsa, Washita, Woods, Woodward.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Western soapberry a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 7.0 to 8.5 and winter lows down to -13 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range: 7.0 to 8.5
Minimum temperature tolerated: -13 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 150
Annual precipitation range: 10 to 15 inches
Minimum root depth: 12 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Summer
Fruit or seed: Yellow · Summer to Summer
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, cuttings, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for SASAD. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 211 counties across 9 states; the most are in Texas (73), Oklahoma (32), Kansas (25).

More from the Sapindaceae family (3 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Red buckeye, Mexican buckeye, Bottlebrush buckeye.

More Texas flowers

Mexican buckeye

Ungnadia speciosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–April

Red buckeye

Aesculus pavia

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–April

Bottlebrush buckeye

Aesculus parviflora

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌷 Grown in Texas gardens

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SASAD.
iNaturalist, Sapindus drummondii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Sapindus drummondii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Sapindus drummondii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Jo Roberts via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.