Quillajaceae

Quillajaceae, the soapbark family, is a family of flowering plants. It contains a single extant genus Quillaja, containing only two species, and one fossil species, Dakotanthus cordiformis. alt=Quillaja brasiliensis tree, focused on a flower and some leaves.|center|thumb|356x356px|Quillaja brasiliensis in Botanical Garden Munich-Nymphenburg|Botanischen Garten München == Description == alt=Two pictures of Quillaja saponaria, one with closed, green, star-shaped capsules and one with open, dry and brown star shaped capsules. |left|thumb|291x291px|Capsules of the Quillaja saponaria. Fresh and closed on the left, open and dehiscent on the right. Quillajaceae are saponin-producing trees with bisexual flowers. Their leaves tend to be simple and alternating. Inflorescences are in cymes. Flowers are varied among the species, but tend to have parts of five. Each whorl is distinct and unfused, notably having 5 apocarpous carpels. The fruits are loculicidal capsules, forming a star shape and dehiscing to release the seeds.

== Etymology == Both the family name Quillajaceae and the genus Quillaja are derived from the Mapuche word "quillean" which means "to wash." This is likely because of its saponin production, which is harvested to make soaps.