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Sausage tree (Kigelia africana)

Dlium Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana)

Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana) is a species of tree in the Bignoniaceae family, growing up to 24 meters tall with low, spreading branches. The bark is dark gray to light brown, up to 6 mm thick, scaly, creamy white underside, and the branches are marked with lenticels. The wood is light brown or yellowish. This tree grows at elevations of 0-3000 meters.

The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and are divided into several pairs of minor leaflets and a single minor leaflet at the tip. Each leaflet is up to 50 cm long and has 3-6 pairs of opposite minor leaflets. The minor leaflets are oval to narrow and pointed, 7-20 cm long and 4-12 cm wide.



The margins are smooth, sometimes slightly serrated. The upper side is glossy green, the underside pale green, smooth or finely hairy. The central vein is sunken on the upper side, with 7-12 pairs of prominent lateral veins visible below.

The inflorescences hang from flexible branches up to 7.5 meters long. The flowers are bell-shaped, orange to maroon and purplish-green, up to 12 cm wide, with 5 petals, 4 fertile stamens, 1 sterile stamen, and a conical ovary.

The fruit is tubular, firm, indehiscent, grayish-brown, and somewhat woody, up to 100 cm long, up to 20 cm in diameter, and weighing up to 12 kg. The flesh is fibrous, numerous seeds, 1.25 cm long, and obovate. The flesh is toxic to humans, but the seeds can be roasted and safely eaten.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Tribe: Coleeae
Genus: Kigelia DC. in Biblioth. Universelle Genève, n.s., 17: 135 (1838)
Species: Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. in W.J.Hooker, Niger Fl.: 463 (1849)
Subspecies: Kigelia africana subsp. africana, Kigelia africana subsp. moosa (Sprague) Bidgood & Verdc.

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Bignonia africana Lam. in Encycl. 1: 424 (1785)
Tecoma africana (Lam.) G.Don in Gen. Hist. 4: 224 (1837)

PUBLICATIONS

Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.

Berendsohn, W.G., Gruber, A.K. & Monterrosa Salomón, J. (2009). Nova silva cusatlantica. Árboles nativos e introduciados de El Salvador. Parte 1: Angiospermae - Familias A a L. Englera 29-1: 1-438.

Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.

Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 3: 1-89. ORSTOM, Bangui.

Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.

Curtis, B. & Mannheimer, C. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia: 1-688. The National Botanical Research Institute, Windhoek.

Diniz, M.A. (1988). 124. Bignoniaceae. Flora Zambesiaca 8(3): 61-85. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Fischer, E., Rembold, K., Althof, A. & Obholzer, J. (2010). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Kakamega forest, Western province, Kenya. Journal of East African Natural History 99: 129-226.

Gentry, A. H. (1985). Bignoniaceae. Flore du Gabon 27: 19-56. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim; Meise Botanic Garden.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo). Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 30: 1-307.

Liben, L. (1977). Bignoniaceae. Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi): 1-39. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.

Mannheimer, C.A. & Curtis, B.A. (eds.) (2009). Le Roux and Müller's field guide to the trees and shrubs of Namibia, rev. ed.: 1-525. Macmillan Education Namibia, Windhoek.

Peyre de Fabregues, B. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1976). Catalogue des Plantes Vascularies du Niger: 1-433. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Bignoniaceae. Southen Africa Botany Diversity Network Reports 37.

Sita, P. & Moutsambote, J.-M. (2005). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Congo, ed. sept. 2005: 1-158. ORSTOM, Centre de Brazzaville.

Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon. Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Worsboom, Kalabasboom, Komkommerboom
Bemba: Muvunguvungu
Chinese (simplified): 吊灯树 - 吊瓜树 - 羽叶吊瓜
Chinese (traditional): 臘腸樹
Czech: Kigélie zpeřená
Danish: Pølsetræ
Digo: Mvungamvunga
English: Sausage tree, Sausagetree, Bologna Sausage Tree, Bologna Sausagetree, Fetishbean, German Sausage Tree, German-Sausage Tree, Sheeps Tail
Finnish: Makkarapuu
French: Arbre à saucisses, Saucissonier
Fula: Jirlaare, Jirlahi, Yirlahi
Ga: Fufo akpel, Schototacho
German: Leberwurstbaum, Wurstbaum
Hausa: Belangu, Giiwaa, hantsar giiwaa, noonon, rahainaa, rahunia, rawuya, taramniya
Hebrew: קיגליה מנוצה
Hindi: बलम खीरा - झार फानूस Balam khira, Jhar fanoos
Igbo: alamborodar, itemi, izbi, oke ogisi, okpe sera, uturbrin, uturubein, uturukpa
Indonesia: Pohon sosis
Italian: albero delle salsicce
Japanese: ソーセージノキ
Kalanga: musunguru, muzunguru
Kannada: Aanethoradu Kaayi, Mara Sowthe
Kikuyu: mkungati, murantina, muratina, mwegea
Korekore: Muveve
Kwangali: umuhvunguhvungu, uvunguvungu, vunguvungu
Lithuanian: Afrikinė kigelija
Lozi: kayungula, kazungulu, mpolata, mufungufungu, munguli, mupungopungo, muzungula
Maasai: ol darboi
Malayalam: Sivakundalam
Manyika: mubvee
Mbukushu: divunguvungu, ghuvunguvungu, mbungubungu, movunguvungu
Ndau: muvumati
Ndebele: ipfungwani, umbvewe, umvebe
Ngoni: muvungula
Polish: kigelia afrykańska
Rumanyo: muuvunguvungu
Russian: Кигелия африканская
Sena: N'vunguti
Sengwato: moporota
Serer: sayo
Setawana: mpoporota, moPoroto
Shambaa: melegea, mlegea
Shangaan: mptungurhu
Shiyeyi: uxhoro
Shona: mubve, mubvewe, mumbveve, mumvee, mupolata, mupolota, musangula, muveve, muvumvuti, vunguti
Slovak: kigélia africká
Sotho (Northern): Modukguhlu
Spanish: Árbol de las salchichas, Salchichón del diablo, Salchicha
Subiya: izungwe
Sukuma: msangwa, mvungwa, mwiegea
Swahili: mbungati, mnanaha, mranaa, mranaha, mvongonya, mvungavunga, mvungunya
Swati: umvomgotsi, umvongoti, umvongotsi
Swedish: Korvträd
Tamil: Yaanaipudukkan, Marachchurai, Sivankundalam
Telugu: Enugu thondamu, Kijili, Nadamalli
Tonga: mvumuti, namutengwa, namuzungula
Tsawana: moporoto, mopėrėta, moporota, mporata
Tsonga: mpfungu, mpfungulo, mpfungura, mpfungurha, mpfungurhu, mpfunguru
Venda: mubvevha, mutshata, mutshato, muvevha
Zulu: belendhlovu, ibele-ndhlovu, ibelendlovu, umbele-wendlovu, umbongothi, umfongothe, umfongothi, umvongothi, umvunguta, umzingula, umzingulu

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
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