April Bennett, age 15, of Hattiesburg, Miss., for her question:

HOW TALL DOES THE SOAPBERRY TREE GROW?

Soapberry is the name of a group of trees and shrubs that bear fruit containing a soapy substance called saponin.

One type of soapberry is an evergreen tree that grows in India and Japan. This tree grows to be about 60 feet tall. It has an orange brown fruit which contains much saponin.

Another species, found growing in the tropical regions of the United States, has small white flowers with orange brown fruit. This tree grows to a height of about 30 feet.

A third species of trees grows in the United States from Missouri to Mexico. It has yellowish white flowers and sheds its leaves in winter.

Soapberry shrubs grow in tropical regions and as ornamental plants in the southern United States. The fruit has a fleshy or leathery berry. People in some of the tropics use the saponin from the berries for cleaning purposes.

Soapberry plants are reproduced by seeds or by cuttings in early spring. They grow well in dry, sandy soil.