Their smell is strong and unpleasant, yet their large blazing red flowers are soft and silky. Pollinated by bats and hawk-moths that are said to be drawn by the bad odour, its flower's only open at night time. Yet for me, this tree is the beacon of the African plains – it's the Sausage Tree. (Kigelia Africana) Widespread across much of tropical Africa, from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, to the Serengeti plains in Tanzania, the Sausage Tree is easily recognized by the large sausage-shaped fruits hanging from its branches. Its broad shady and often well-kept canopy attracts a variety of animals, such as baboons, bush-pigs, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, monkeys and porcupine. They are drawn to its fibrous pulp containing numerous seeds which are later dispersed in their dung. The sausage tree is often found in areas where there is soft, sandy (alluvial) soil such as riverine forest, along the edge of streams, floodplains, in open wooded grasslands, savanna and forest margins. With a vast distribution, the sausage tree is sacred to many communities and is often protected when other forest trees are cut down. The tree also has a wide range of uses to man including food, medicine and timber.
Until next month,  Lisa Marsden |
In Malawi for example, roasted fruits are used to flavor beer and aid fermentation. The tough wood is used for shelving, fences and fruit boxes. In Botswana and Zimbabwe dugout canoes are made from the stem. Its roots are said to yield a bright yellow dye. Traditional remedies prepared from crushed, dried or fresh fruits are used to cure ulcers, sores and syphilis. Both ripe and un-ripe fruits are highly toxic to humans often causing ulcers and rashes to the skin. Oh, and a word of advice, don't be drawn into pitching your tent, parking your car or sitting under the shade of a beautiful fruiting sausage tree! Sausages can weigh up to 12 kg's and resembling missiles, you could be in trouble! 
* All pictures copyright Lisa Marsden |
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