# Kigelia

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Genus of African tree

Kigelia K. africana habitat, fruit, flower and seeds Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Bignoniaceae Clade: Crescentiina Clade: Paleotropical clade Genus: Kigelia DC. Species: K. africana Binomial name Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.

*K. africana* in [Serengeti National Park](/source/Serengeti_National_Park)

***Kigelia*** is a genus of [flowering plants](/source/Flowering_plant) in the trumpet vine family [Bignoniaceae](/source/Bignoniaceae). The genus consists of only one species, ***Kigelia africana***, [syn.](/source/Synonymy_(biology)) *Kigelia pinnata*, which occurs throughout tropical [Africa](/source/Africa) and is cultivated elsewhere in the tropics.[2][3]

Often called **sausage tree**, it grows a fruit that is up to 60 centimetres (24 in) long, weighs about 5–10 kilograms (11–22 lb), and resembles a sausage in a casing. The fruit and bark of the plant are used by African tribes as [traditional medicine](/source/Traditional_medicine). The fruit is [poisonous](/source/Poison) for humans when raw,[4] but is also made into an [alcoholic drink](/source/Alcoholic_beverage) by tribes in [Kenya](/source/Kenya). It is eaten by [elephants](/source/Elephant), [baboons](/source/Baboon), and other wild animals, which may disperse the seeds,[4][5] but their importance for seed dispersal remains unverified.[6]

## Etymology

The genus name comes from the Mozambican [Bantu](/source/Bantu_language) name, *kigeli-keia[7]*, while the common names sausage tree and cucumber tree[8] refer to the large [sausage](/source/Sausage)-shaped fruit.[7] Its name in [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans), *worsboom*, also means sausage tree, while its [Arabic](/source/Arabic) name means "the father of [kit-bags](/source/Kit-bag)".[9]

## Description

The tree can be [deciduous](/source/Deciduous) or [evergreen](/source/Evergreen) depending on rainfall.[3] It has a rounded [crown](/source/Crown_(botany)), a thick [trunk](/source/Trunk_(botany)), and spreading, low-branching limbs; its bark is dark grey to light brown and scaly, with the inner bark being creamy-white, and the branches are marked with [lenticels](/source/Lenticel).[7] It can grow up to 24 metres (79 ft) tall.[7]

The bark is grey and smooth at first, peeling on older trees. It can be as thick as 6 mm (0.24 in) on a 15 cm (5.9 in) diameter branch.[9] The wood is pale brown or yellowish, undifferentiated, and not prone to cracking.[9]

The tree mostly grows in the wild, especially in wetter places such as [rainforest](/source/Rainforest), [woodland](/source/Woodland), wetter [savanna](/source/Savanna), and [shrubland](/source/Shrubland) on [loamy](/source/Loam), [red clay](/source/Ultisol) soil, which may be rocky.[7][3] It can grow from sea level to 3,000 m elevation.[7]

### Foliage

The [leaves](/source/Leaf) are arranged alternately along the stem and are divided into several pairs of [leaflets](/source/Leaflet_(botany)), usually with a single leaflet at the tip.[7] Each leaf can be up to 50 cm (20 in) long and typically has three to six pairs of opposite leaflets.[7] The leaflets are shaped from oval to narrow and pointed, measuring 7–20 cm (2.8–7.9 in) long and 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) wide.[7] Their edges are mostly smooth, sometimes slightly toothed, and their bases are slightly uneven, ranging from rounded to wedge-shaped.[7] The upper surface of the leaflets is shiny green and often rough, while the underside is dull green and can be either smooth or softly hairy.[7] The [central vein](/source/Midrib) is sunken on the upper side, with seven to twelve pairs of prominent side veins visible underneath.[7] The leaves do not have [stipules](/source/Stipule), and the terminal leaflet can be either present or absent.[10]

### Flowers

The [flowers](/source/Flower) hang down from branches on long flexible stems (2–6 m or 7–20 ft long), exceptionally up to 7.5 m (25 ft) in length.[11] The flowers are produced in [panicles](/source/Panicle); they are bell-shaped and fleshy[7] (similar to those of the [African tulip tree](/source/Spathodea) but broader, darker, and more waxy), orange to maroon or purplish green, and about 10 cm (3.9 in) (occasionally as much as 12 cm (4.7 in)[12]) wide. The flowers are [hermaphrodite](/source/Hermaphrodite), display symmetry across only one plane ([zygomorphic](/source/Floral_symmetry)), and have petals arranged in groups of five.[7] The flowers have four fertile [stamens](/source/Stamen): one smaller sterile stamen, a conical [ovary](/source/Ovary_(botany)), and emit a strong unpleasant scent at night, attracting [bats](/source/Bat) for [pollination](/source/Pollination), though are also much visited in daylight by nectar-feeding birds.[7][6]

### Fruit

[African bush elephant](/source/African_bush_elephant) eating the fruit

The fruit is a tough, very fibrous, [indehiscent](/source/Dehiscence_(botany)), greyish-brown,[7] somewhat woody [berry](/source/Berry_(botany)) from 30 to 100 cm (12 to 39 in) long[13] and up to 18 cm (7.1 in) diameter, but 20 cm (7.9 in) has been reported.[14] Typically the fruit weighs between 5–10 kg (11–22 lb)[7] but occasionally up to 12 kg (26 lb),[15] and hangs down on the long, rope-like [peduncles](/source/Peduncle_(botany)). The fruit pulp is fibrous, containing many [seeds](/source/Seed), which are unwinged, 1.25 cm long, and [obovate](/source/Obovate).[7] The fruit pulp is [poisonous](/source/Poison) to humans and strongly [purgative](/source/Purgative), causing blistering of the tongue and skin, though the seeds may be roasted and eaten safely.[7]

## Uses

Traditionally, the tree has been used by local African tribes in the belief that the plant is useful as a [therapy](/source/Herbal_medicine) for various disorders.[16][7] The tree components contain diverse [phytochemicals](/source/Phytochemical), including [phenols](/source/Phenols), [coumarins](/source/Coumarin_derivatives), [sterols](/source/Sterol), [triterpenes](/source/Triterpene), [diterpenes](/source/Diterpene), [unsaturated fatty acids](/source/Fatty_acid), [quinones](/source/Quinone), [iridoids](/source/Iridoid), [alkanes](/source/Alkane), and [esters](/source/Ester).[7]

In Botswana, the timber is used for [makoros](/source/Makoro), yokes and oars.[9] More generally, it is also used as fuel and for the construction of canoes, planks, fence posts, as well as crafting various household items such as containers, [musical instruments](/source/Musical_instrument), furnitures, and tool handles.[7] Branches are also used for making [bows](/source/Bow_and_arrow).[7] Both the wood and fruit are carved into objects like [traps](/source/Trapping), toys, and dining utensils, while the wood also provides [fuel](/source/Firewood).[7] The [tannin](/source/Tannin)-rich fruit pulp yields a black dye for colouring and dying purposes.[7] Early use of the wood for wedge-shaped tools was discovered at [Kalambo Falls](/source/Kalambo_Falls), [Zambia](/source/Zambia), dating to between 390,000 and 324,000 years ago.[17]

Around Mount Kenya, especially among the [Kikuyu](/source/Kikuyu_people), [Embu](/source/Embu_people) and the [Akamba](/source/Kamba_people), the dried fruit are used to make an alcoholic mead beverage (*muratina*code: kik promoted to code: ki in [Kikuyu](/source/Kikuyu_language)).[18] The harvested fruit is split into two along the grain, and soaked to make it less bitter, before being [dried in the sun](/source/Sun-dried_fruit).[18] [Cane sugar](/source/Sucrose) is then added to the fruit pieces.[18] The fruit are [fermented](/source/Ethanol_fermentation) for anywhere between two and four days in a warm environment, with the final [ethanol](/source/Ethanol) content being between 3 and 6%.[18]

The tree is widely grown as an [ornamental tree](/source/Ornamental_plant) in tropical regions for its decorative flowers and unusual fruit.[19]

*Kigelia africana* also holds significant cultural and spiritual importance for many African communities.[7] The tree is held to be sacred, and the fruit are widely traded in local markets as [talismans](/source/Talisman) that are thought to bring good luck in many different situations.[7]

## Gallery

		- A sausage tree in [Botswana](/source/Botswana) in use as an airport departure lounge

		- Leaves, [Kruger National Park](/source/Kruger_National_Park)

		- Inflorescence, Kruger National Park

		- Fruit, Kruger National Park

		- Fruit, showing the exceptional length of the stems; Kenya

		- [Chacma baboon](/source/Chacma_baboon) eating the fruit

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Rivers, M.C., Mark, J. (2017). ["*Kigelia africana*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61986013/61986016). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2017** e.T61986013A61986016. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61986013A61986016.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61986013A61986016.en). Retrieved 17 July 2025.{{[cite journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_journal)}}: CS1 maint: overridden setting ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_overridden_setting))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO_2-0)** ["Plants of the World Online"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:4109-1). *Plants of the World Online*. Retrieved 16 June 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_3-2) Singh A, Kumari S, Singh A, et al. (2018). ["Ethnopharmacology and pharmacology of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329644505). *International Journal of Green Pharmacy*. **11**: S23–S31. Retrieved 17 July 2025 – via ResearchGate.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Africa_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Africa_4-1) ["What is a Sausage Tree? Facts About Fruit, Benefits & More"](https://africafreak.com/sausage-tree). *Africa Freak - Your Gateway to Wild Africa*. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Ajayi T (23 July 2019). ["Kigelia africana"](https://forestcenter.iita.org/index.php/2019/07/23/kigelia-africana/). *Forest Center*. Retrieved 16 June 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Koedoe_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Koedoe_6-1) Namah J, Midgley JJ, Kruger LM (29 April 2019). ["Reproductive biology of the sausage tree (*Kigelia africana*) in Kruger National Park, South Africa"](https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/download/1512/2230). *Koedoe*. **61** (1). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4102/koedoe.v61i1.1512](https://doi.org/10.4102%2Fkoedoe.v61i1.1512). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2071-0771](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2071-0771). Retrieved 16 June 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_7-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_7-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_7-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_7-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:0_7-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:0_7-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-:0_7-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-:0_7-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-:0_7-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-:0_7-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-:0_7-14) [***p***](#cite_ref-:0_7-15) [***q***](#cite_ref-:0_7-16) [***r***](#cite_ref-:0_7-17) [***s***](#cite_ref-:0_7-18) [***t***](#cite_ref-:0_7-19) [***u***](#cite_ref-:0_7-20) [***v***](#cite_ref-:0_7-21) [***w***](#cite_ref-:0_7-22) [***x***](#cite_ref-:0_7-23) [***y***](#cite_ref-:0_7-24) [***z***](#cite_ref-:0_7-25) [***aa***](#cite_ref-:0_7-26) Nabatanzi A, Nkadimeng SM, Lall N, et al. (15 June 2020). ["Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activity of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7356732). *Plants (Basel, Switzerland)*. **9** (6): 753. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2020Plnts...9..753N](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020Plnts...9..753N). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3390/plants9060753](https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fplants9060753). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2223-7747](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2223-7747). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [7356732](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7356732). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [32549404](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32549404).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Sangita Saini, Harmeet Kaur, Bharat Verma, et al. (2009). ["*Kigelia africana* (Lam.) Benth. — an overview"](http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/4043/1/NPR%208(2)%20190-197.pdf) (PDF). *Natural Product Radiance*. **8** (2): 190–197.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Roodt_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Roodt_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Roodt_9-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Roodt_9-3) Roodt V (1992). *Kigelia africana*in*The Shell field guide to the common trees of the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve*. Gaborone, Botswana: [Shell Oil Botswana](/source/Royal_Dutch_Shell).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Diniz, MA, 1988. Bignoniaceae. In: *Flora Zambesiaca, Vol. 8, Part 3*, [ed. by Launert, E]. London, United Kingdom: Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee. 61-85.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Williams W. *Florida's Fabulous Trees*. Tampa: Worldwide Publications. p. 24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Kuck LE, Tongg RC (1960). *Hawaiian Flowers and Flowering Trees - A Guide to Tropical and Semitropical Flora*. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co. p. 41.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Huxley A. *The New Royal Hort. Soc. Dictionary of Gardening*. Vol. 2. New York: Stockton Press. p. 735.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Lindley J, Moore T, eds. (1866). *A Treasury of Botany*. Vol. 2. London: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 647.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Vandaveer C (7 March 2002). ["Killer Plants"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100615055337/http://www.killerplants.com/weird-plants/20020307.asp). Archived from [the original](http://www.killerplants.com/weird-plants/20020307.asp) on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2004.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:1_16-0)** Houghton PJ, Jâger AK (1 February 2002). ["The sausage tree (*Kigelia pinnata*): ethnobotany and recent scientific work"](https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0254-6299%2816%2930448-3). *South African Journal of Botany*. **68** (1): 14–20. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2002SAJB...68...14H](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002SAJB...68...14H). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/S0254-6299(16)30448-3](https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0254-6299%2816%2930448-3). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0254-6299](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0254-6299).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Barham L, Duller GA, Candy I, et al. (20 September 2023). ["Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10550827). *Nature*. **622** (7981): 107–111. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2023Natur.622..107B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023Natur.622..107B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-023-06557-9). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[10400.1/20204](https://hdl.handle.net/10400.1%2F20204). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1476-4687](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1476-4687). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [10550827](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10550827). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [37730994](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37730994). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [262084949](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:262084949). At Kalambo we also recovered four wood tools from 390 ka to 324 ka, including a wedge, digging stick, cut log and notched branch....Object 660 (*Kigelia africana*), 36.2 cm long, rounded on one side with outer bark on both surfaces, tapers to an offset point cut 60° across the long axis...object 660 ('wedge')...

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_18-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_18-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:3_18-3) Akimoto T, Gichuru SG, Akimoto T, et al. (1986). ["Higashiafurika no dentō-teki hakkō inryō kara bunri shita nyūsankin no dōtei to sho seijō" 東アフリカの伝統的発酵飲料から分離した乳酸菌の同定と諸性状](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/chikusan1924/57/3/57_3_265/_article/-char/ja/) [Identification and Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Traditional Fermented Beverages in East Africa]. *Nihon Chikusan Gakkaiho* (in Japanese). **57** (3): 265–276. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2508/chikusan.57.265](https://doi.org/10.2508%2Fchikusan.57.265).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Areces-Berazain F (11 June 2020). ["*Kigelia africana* (sausage tree)"](https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/cabicompendium.29403). *CABI Compendium* 29403. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1079/cabicompendium.29403](https://doi.org/10.1079%2Fcabicompendium.29403).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Kigelia africana](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kigelia_africana).

[Wikispecies](/source/Wikispecies) has information related to ***[Kigelia africana](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Kigelia_africana)***.

- ["*Kigelia*"](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomygenus.aspx?id=6316). *[Germplasm Resources Information Network](/source/Germplasm_Resources_Information_Network)*. [Agricultural Research Service](/source/Agricultural_Research_Service), [United States Department of Agriculture](/source/United_States_Department_of_Agriculture).

- [*Kigelia africana*](http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=13&preview=true&searchTextMenue=Kigelia+africana&search=Wikitemplate) in [West African plants – A Photo Guide.](http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/)

Taxon identifiers Kigelia Wikidata: Q3009148 Wikispecies: Kigelia APDB: 191813 CoL: 99F8X EPPO: 1KIGG FNA: 117095 GBIF: 3172560 GRIN: 6316 iNaturalist: 81492 IPNI: 4108-1 IRMNG: 1316570 ITIS: 500671 NCBI: 46070 NZOR: 2f876e81-aa5b-410f-972e-aea0a5f017c2 Open Tree of Life: 805461 PLANTS: KIGEL POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:4109-1 Tropicos: 40035436 WFO: wfo-4000019993 Kigelia africana Wikidata: Q522883 Wikispecies: Kigelia africana APDB: 48289 CoL: 99NTN EoL: 484981 EPPO: KIGAF FNA: 200021424 GBIF: 3172561 GRIN: 70392 iNaturalist: 81491 IPNI: 109874-1 IRMNG: 10202483 ITIS: 506043 IUCN: 61986013 MoBotPF: 277892 NCBI: 70070 NZOR: 0182da5b-e1d6-4bc6-b344-7f4a09a7f862 Observation.org: 286619 Open Tree of Life: 482933 Plant List: kew-317427 PLANTS: KIAF POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:109874-1 SANBI: 710-1 Tropicos: 3700622 WFO: wfo-0000778884

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kigelia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigelia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigelia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.