Which "soapberry" for temperate climates?

I'm interested in getting a perennial "soapberry" tree/bush to use as a replacement for other soaps but the scientific name seems to refer to a few different plants and I'm not 100% sure which would be the best to get in my climate. Shepherdia canadensis is commonly called soapberry around here, but it's edible, so I assume the saponin content isn't high enough to be useful? Sapindus drummondii (western soapberry) looks like it's hardy from zones 6-9 so that might be the one I'm looking for. Does anyone have experience with these plants and are there other options I'm overlooking?

Meg, I am growing wax myrtle, the southern ones have died here but they may work for you in that climate. The northern ones have smaller berries and don't look as nice but they are low maintenance.

buckeye nuts are loaded with saponins - it's what makes them poisonous. we've been experimenting a bit with drying and chipping them at our nut processing facility...might need more infrastructure than most folks have at home, though...

Western Soapberry is the one you're looking for.  Here it is a prolific, easy to grow small tree.  The trees produce copious fruit which is easy to collect.  I have it growing on my place.

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SASAD

Does anyone have a source of seeds/nuts for Western Soapberry, for planting?
This is something I've been really wanting to grow, but I have had trouble sourcing the actual seeds to get started.

Kc Simmons wrote:Does anyone have a source of seeds/nuts for Western Soapberry, for planting?
This is something I've been really wanting to grow, but I have had trouble sourcing the actual seeds to get started.

I have a big western soap berry tree on my property. Strangely enough, my goats find it to be the most desirable forage. Websites tell me it’s toxic to livestock but they literally prefer it over many other options. Strange.
Anyway, if you haven’t found any seeds since this post, I’d be happy to send you a few in an envelope.
Another benefit I’ve found is that during spring when it’s blooming, our honey bees are all over it. Along will many other pollinators. It’s a beautiful sight!
I have not collected the berries for soap but may one day.
I do plan to propagate the tree this year for more Soapberry!

we have 'em ... I've planted some already, and I will gather some extra seeds for you.   Also, buffalo gourd grows in my area ...supposedly you can make soap from the flesh around their seeds.  I haven't tried yet ... on the todo list

Tori,

When we lived down in NW Oklahoma we had soapberries on our place.  Deer really liked to bed down and hangout in the grove of soapberry trees.  

Bryan Elliott wrote:Tori,

When we lived down in NW Oklahoma we had soapberries on our place.  Deer really liked to bed down and hangout in the grove of soapberry trees.  

Bryan,
That’s makes sense. I am in SE Oklahoma. I think that goats eat a lot of things that deer do.

I don't know if Meg is still looking, but I wonder if it needs to be a berry?

There is a flower called Saponaria officinalis (aka soapweed, common soapwort, bouncing bet) which I have seen growing in Maine. As the name might suggest it can be used to make soap.

Has anyone grown and tried Gentiana saponaria?
PFAF seems to focus on its medicinal value, but I read somewhere that it can be used for dishwashing and its name certainly implies it would be good for its natural saponify chemicals.

Unfortunately it prefers a boggy environment which generally doesn't describe my homestead. If people have had good luck with it, I'd be prepared to try a couple of spots that might make it happy.

https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Gentiana+saponaria

In the meantime, I really must try English Ivy, as I have a surplus of that around!

Re: Saponaria officinalis
I have lots on my property and it's great for a mild soap but doesn't really replace laundry detergent or regular soap as it's not as concentrated. To wash clothes, hair etc. you need quite a bit. It also doesn't really make a true "soap" (as in bar soap) but rather a mild liquid detergent that also needs to be used up within a few days. But great for washing wool etc or hands in a pinch!

Are you interested in a bulb that has been traditionally used by the natives here in Northern California? 'Soap Plant or Soap root" Chlorogalum pomeridianum is also edible when baked. It grows prolifically on a west facing slope on my property that gets high heat with both sun and shade in the Summer and lots of rain in the Winter. Also called amole by Natives,  https://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/vme/ARNHA/soaproot.html.    https://www.gardenershq.com/Chlorogalum-soap-plant.php

Eden van den Bogaard wrote:Re: Saponaria officinalis
I have lots on my property and it's great for a mild soap but doesn't really replace laundry detergent or regular soap as it's not as concentrated. To wash clothes, hair etc. you need quite a bit. It also doesn't really make a true "soap" (as in bar soap) but rather a mild liquid detergent that also needs to be used up within a few days. But great for washing wool etc or hands in a pinch!

Soapwort is reputedly used by those washing heritage fabrics, as in the UK's National Trust properties.

Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum, conker) are reckoned useful (related to American buckeye). I've been on a road bordered by conker trees after an autumn shower. Cars crushing the conkers resulted in a foam, running down the road and into drains - probably going into nearby watercourses, where it'll be a fish toxin!

Last resort - wood ash. Used to be left outside in a tub, with a bucket to collect rainwater running through, which would gain potassium hydroxide/carbonate. That would combine with grease in the clothing you've not washed in too long, to make real soap. Or grease in your skin, if you're not careful.