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Why is bark from Quillaja trees notable?

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Yellow partridge pea — Fabales A flowering stalk of yellow partridge pea (*Chamaecrista fasciculata*) in the eastern United States.

The bark of the Quillaja tree is notable because it contains significant quantities of saponins. These saponin-rich properties make the bark useful for cleaning purposes and for the emulsification of oils.12

While Quillaja is a genus within the order Fabales, it belongs to the family Quillajaceae rather than the family Fabaceae, which is more commonly associated with legumes like peas and beans.1