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Kigelia africana
Bignoniaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Kigelia africana

Kigelia africana

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The fruits are not edible, even when fully ripe, and are said to be purgative and toxic[1]. Unripe fruits are poisonous[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Tree
GrowthMedium

A plant of low to higher elevations in the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 3,000 metres[3]. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 900 - 2,000mm[4]. It is not frost resistant, but if young plants are protected for the first 2 - 3 years from cold winds in colder areas, they will survive[3]. Prefers a medium loam soil[3]. Grows best in a sunny position in a fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil[5]. A very variable plant, a large number of species have been described by botanists, but it is now considered that the genus is monospecific and variations are due to ecological influences, affecting also phytochemistry[1]. A relatively slow-growing tree; depending on the climate, it reaches good shade proportions in 4 - 5 years. The growth rate is at least 1 metre/year, but it is slower in colder areas[3]. Trees commence flowering when they are about 6 years old from seed[4]. Plants can flower intermittently all year round[6]. The flowers are unpleasantly scented[4]. The tree has a rather invasive root system and should not be planted close to buildings[4]. The tree can be used successfully for bonsai, the thick stem being an attractive feature[3].

Propagation

Seed - no pre-treatment is needed, but the germination rate is poor[3]. Another report says that germination improves after the seed has been stored for 12 months[4]. Soaking the seed in hot or boiling water for one minute prior to sowing will enhance germination[4]. Seeds are placed in seedling trays filled with pure river sand; they are pressed into the sand until the tip is level with the sand, covered lightly with a thin layer of sand or pure compost and kept moist[3]. Seed usually germinates after 10 - 25 days[3]. Seeds germinate better at temperatures of 23°c or higher[5]. The sausage tree is not a prolific seeder. Seeds are released when the fruit rots on the ground, and plants regenerate naturally. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; viability is maintained for more than 3 years in hermetic storage at ambient temperature with 11-15% mc; dry seeds store well in a cool place[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Kigelia+africana>

Pollinators

Bats

References

  1. [1]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
  2. [2]Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania — Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. · Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. · 2002 · ISBN 9966-896-60-0 ↩︎A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
  3. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  7. [7]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  8. [8]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  9. [9]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  10. [10]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  11. [11]Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 79 — van der Werff H. (Editor) · Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis. · 1992 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN 0026-6493 ↩︎A botanical journal, it includes an article on the ethnobotanical uses of the plant family Bignoniaceae. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  12. [12]The World List of Threatened Trees — Oldfield S.; Lusty C.; and MacKinven A. · World Conservation Press; Cambridge UK · 1998 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN 1-899628-10 X ↩︎A list of the trees on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plant Species in 1998, often giving some information on habitat and the reasons for being on the list. It can be downloaded from the Internet.