Bio Diversity Park

Common Name : Sausage Tree

Hindi Name : बालम खीरा | Scientific Name : Kigelia africana
Family : Bignoniaceae
Uses : There are many anecdotal uses of the sausage tree. The powdered mature fruit is applied as a dressing in the treatment of wounds, abscesses, and ulcers. The green fruit is used as a poultice for syphilis and rheumatism, and a poultice made from leaves is used as a treatment for backache. An infusion is made from the ground bark and fruits to treat stomach problems in children, and an infusion from the roots and bark is taken to treat pneumonia. Fruit is used for sores, to restore taste, and for constipation, gynaecological disorders, haemorrhoids, lumbago, dysentery, and as a purgative and galactagogue. Roots are used for gynaecological complaints, constipation, and tapeworm.
Native: Tropical Africa
General Description:

It is a semi-deciduous-to-deciduous tree that grows up to 25 meters tall. The tree’s bark is grey and smooth and flakes in older specimens. Leaves are crowded near the tips of branches, and young leaves are brownish red. Flowers bloom in long, loose, pendulous sprays of 5-12 flowers. Petals are a deep, velvety red with yellow veining on the outside. The cylindrical fruit is pendulous on a long fruit stalk. The fruit can grow up to 1 meter long and 20 cm wide and is grey and rounded at the apex. The tree flowers from August to October and fruits from December to June. Depending on the climate, the sausage tree is remarkably fast-growing and can mature in 4 to 5 years. Ripe fruits can weigh up to 12 kg and can cause considerable damage when they drop.