The Sausage Tree, scientifically known as Kigelia africana, is a unique and visually striking plant. Its common name directly reflects its most distinctive feature: large, elongated fruits that resemble hanging sausages.
Physical Characteristics
The Sausage Tree typically grows 6 to 25 meters (20 to 80 feet) tall, developing a broad, rounded crown. Its stout trunk is covered in gray-brown bark that can appear flaky with age.
Its pinnate leaves, with leaflets arranged along a central stem, are typically yellowish-green, leathery, and rigid. The tree produces unique, bell-shaped flowers that are dark red to maroon with yellow veins, often appearing wrinkled.
These striking flowers hang in pendulous panicles on long, rope-like stalks, sometimes reaching 2 to 6 meters (6 to 20 feet) in length. They primarily bloom at night, emitting a strong, musky scent unpleasant to humans but attractive to their main pollinators, bats. Birds and insects also visit the flowers.
Following the flowering, the tree develops its characteristic fruit, which can grow to impressive sizes. These woody, gray-brown, sausage-shaped fruits can be 30 to 100 centimeters (1 to 3 feet) long and up to 18 centimeters (7 inches) in diameter. Each fruit can weigh 5 to 10 kilograms (11 to 22 pounds), with some reaching 22 kilograms (48 pounds), hanging vertically from sturdy, elongated stems. This peculiar fruit is fibrous and pulpy, containing numerous seeds, and is the origin of the tree’s common name.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Sausage Tree is native to and widely distributed throughout continental sub-Saharan Africa. It thrives across various regions, including KwaZulu-Natal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
It prefers warm climates and is often found along riverbanks, floodplains, and open woodlands. The tree benefits from the alluvial soil in periodically flooded areas, where it can grow up to 16 meters (50 feet) high. While it prefers sunny environments, it also demonstrates tolerance to drought and can withstand temperatures ranging from about 4°C to 40°C (39°F to 104°F).
Traditional Uses and Cultural Significance
Across Africa, various parts of the Sausage Tree have been used in traditional practices for centuries. The fruit, bark, leaves, and roots have been incorporated into remedies for a range of ailments.
Topically, extracts are used to address skin conditions such as eczema, fungal infections, psoriasis, wounds, ulcers, and boils due to their purported antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The tree’s components have also been traditionally applied to relieve rheumatism, sprains, and bruises.
Beyond external applications, some traditional uses involve internal consumption, often for conditions like dysentery, stomach ailments, and as a laxative. The fruit is also used in traditional brewing, particularly in Malawi and Kenya, where roasted fruits are added to flavor and aid the fermentation process of local beer. The wood of the tree, though soft, has been historically used for shelving, fruit boxes, and to carve dugout canoes in Botswana.
Culturally, the Sausage Tree holds significance in various African communities. It is regarded as a symbol of fertility and abundance in some traditions. Folklore suggests that hanging the fruit in homes can protect against storms and hurricanes. In certain Zambian tribes, the fruit is used in ceremonies, including a poignant tradition where it is placed with a deceased twin as a symbolic gesture for the surviving twin.
Safety and Considerations
Despite its traditional uses, the raw fruit of the Sausage Tree is generally considered toxic to humans. It can act as a strong purgative and may cause blistering in the mouth and on the skin. Consuming unripe fruit is particularly dangerous and can lead to severe digestive upset.
While some traditional preparations involve drying, roasting, or fermenting the fruit to neutralize compounds, general consumption without expert knowledge is not recommended. Most traditional medicinal applications of the Sausage Tree are external, such as topical creams or poultices for skin conditions. Internal use of the fruit or other parts should be approached with extreme caution and only under guidance from experienced traditional healers, as pharmacological investigations are ongoing to understand potential toxicities.
The large, heavy fruits pose a physical hazard when they fall, potentially causing damage to vehicles or injury to people standing underneath the tree. However, many wild animals, including elephants, hippos, baboons, monkeys, bush pigs, and certain bird species, safely consume the fruit, playing a role in seed dispersal.