Sapindaceae
A natural order of trees, shrubs, or under-shrubs, rarely herbs, dispersed over the whole globe, but most numerous in tropical regions. Flowers usually polygamo-diaecious, variously coloured and disposed, generally small for the size of the plant, inodorous; sepals four or five, very rarely more or none, free or more or less connate, often unequal, imbricated; petals wanting or three to five, rarely more, the dorsal one often wanting, often scaly or bearded within, imbricated; disk variable, complete or incomplete, sometimes unilateral, very rarely deficient; stamens usually eight, rarely five or ten (very rarely two, four, twelve, or indefinite), usually hypogynous and inserted within the disk, rarely on its head or around the base; filaments usually elongated. Fruit capsular or indehiscent, drupaceous, baccate, or coriaceous, entire or lobed, rarely composed of two or three samaras. Leaves often evergreen, alternate, exstipulate or rarely stipulate, compound, abruptly pinnate; leaflets variable, in a few cases pellucid-dotted; petioles sometimes winged. Several of the species produce edible fruits, and others furnish valuable timber. The order comprises from 600 to 700 species, which are classified, by Bentham and Hooker, in genera and sub-orders as follows: Acerineae, 3 genera; Dodonaeae, 6; Meliantheae, 3; Sapindeae, 59; Staphyleae, 3--showing a total of seventy-four genera. Examples: Acer, Dodonaea, Melianthus, Sapindus, and Staphylea.
