Soap bark tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Soap bark tree |
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Quillaja
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Q. saponaria
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| Quillaja saponaria |
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The Soap bark tree (Quillaja saponaria) is a special type of tree. It belongs to the plant family called Quillajaceae. Sometimes, people also call it Panama wood when it's sold. This tree grows naturally in warm areas. You can find it from central Chile up north to Bolivia and Peru. It can grow quite tall, reaching about 15 to 20 meters (around 49 to 66 feet) high.
The Soap bark tree gets its name from its inner bark. This bark can be ground into a powder. This powder can then be used just like soap! The tree also has other cool uses. Its natural compounds can create foam in drinks like beer. Plus, people have used parts of this tree for medicine for a long time.
What Does the Soap Bark Tree Look Like?
The Soap bark tree, also known as Quillay, is an evergreen tree. This means it keeps its leaves all year round. It has grey bark. Its leaves grow in an alternating pattern along the branches. They are smooth and shiny green. Each leaf has a pointed tip and a rounded base. The edges of the leaves are mostly smooth, but they might have 4 to 8 small teeth.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the Soap bark tree are light green or white. They are "hermaphrodite," meaning each flower has both male and female parts. They usually have five petals, five sepals (which are like small leaves protecting the flower bud), ten stamens (male parts), and five pistils (female parts).
After the flowers, the tree grows a unique fruit. It's a star-shaped capsule. Inside this capsule, you'll find winged seeds. These wings help the seeds fly away in the wind to grow new trees.
Images for kids
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Quillaja saponaria in bloom, University of California, Berkeley, USA, July 2019 (by Amber Kerr).
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Sclerophyll forests in the Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile.
See also
In Spanish: Quillay para niños
