Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Kigelia africana - Sausage Tree

Edible Portion: Seeds, Fruit, Bark, Flowers

It is a tree which loses many leaves during the year. It grows 9-18 m high. The crown is rounded. The trunk is short and straight and about 80 cm across. It often branches from the base. The branches spread out and the secondary branches hang down. The bark is dark grey and smooth but flakes off in patches. The leaves are compound leaves growing in threes. They occur at the ends of branches. They are light green. The leaves are divided into leaflets along the stalk with one leaflet at the end. There are 7-9 leaflets. They are smooth on the upper surface and can be downy underneath. The side leaflets do not have stalks. The end leaflet grows out as much as 30 cm from the last pair. The leaflets are rough and hard and up to 10 cm long. They can have a sharp tip. The edge of the leaflet is wavy. The flowers occur on long rope like stalks. These can be 2-3 m long. The flowers are trumpet like. The flowers are on long sprays which hang downwards. The flowers point out and upwards. The petals are bright red with yellow veins. The flowers are 6-8-15 cm long. They have an unpleasant smell. The fruit is like grey green