Kigelia africana (sausage tree)

The sausage tree is found across sub-Saharan tropical Africa and as far south as South Africa. It is cultivated in other tropical countries and is used as an ornamental tree in Australia, the USA and parts of Southeast Asia.

A comprehensive collation of data on sausage tree has been made by Kew’s Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL). Apart from detailed information on uses throughout Africa, the SEPASAL database (available online) also records over 400 vernacular names by which the sausage tree is known - an indication of the tree’s importance and value to communities throughout its geographic range.

The sausage tree is widespread across tropical Africa. It is a sacred tree for many communities and is usually protected on farm lands when other tree species are cut down. In Malawi, Kigelia africana is now protected after many trees were cut down to make canoes.

Kigelia africana tree in Mara, Kenya (Image: Peter Gasson)

Kigelia africana is an important tree for many people and has a wide range of uses. Both ripe and unripe fruits are poisonous to humans but the fruits can be dried and fermented, and used along with the bark to enhance the flavour of traditional beers. The seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten in times of food shortage. Every part of the tree is used in herbal medicines (e.g. for digestive and respiratory disorders, and to treat infections and wounds). The sausage tree is used in a variety of commercial applications to treat skin complaints. Research into its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-tumour activity is ongoing. The wood makes good quality timber for fences, planking, boxes and canoes.

Kigelia africana is a suitable tree for planting to stabilise riverbanks, while its broad canopy makes it a good shade tree in the open savanna. It is, however, not advisable to park a vehicle or to sit beneath a fruiting tree - the ‘sausages’ (fruits) can weigh up to 12 kg and can cause considerable damage when they fall!

The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life worldwide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

Two collections of sausage tree seeds are held in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank based at Wakehurst in West Sussex.

See Kew’s Seed Information Database for further information on Kigelia africana seeds.

Be the person or group who will protect this species forever. Sponsor Kigelia africana or other endangered plant species at the MSB.

A dried specimen of Kigelia africana, collected in Zimbabwe by C.E.F. Allen (Image: RBG Kew)

The sausage tree can be seen growing in the Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

Dried and spirit-preserved specimens of Kigelia africana are held in the Herbarium, one of the behind-the-scenes areas of Kew. Details, including images, of some of these specimens can be seen on-line in the Herbarium Catalogue.

Bark, fruits, seeds and wood from K. africana are also held in the Economic Botany Collection. These specimens are made available to bona fide researchers from around the world by appointment.

Adopt a Seed, Save a Species - Kigelia africana

Learn more about the Drylands Africa Team at Kew

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA)

Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL)

World Agroforestry Centre’s Agroforestree Database