아프리카키겔리아-Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.

과명	Bignoniaceae (능소화과)	속명	Kigelia (키겔리아속)
전체학명	[정명] Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.	추천명	아프리카키겔리아
이명		외국명	Sausage tree

The sausage tree boasts long, open sprays of large, wrinkled, maroon or dark red trumpet-shaped flowers that are velvety on the inside and that virtually overflow with nectar. The unique fruits look like giant sausages!

The short, squat trunk has light brown, sometimes flaky bark and supports a dense rounded to spreading crown (18 m high, 20 m wide) of leathery, slightly glossy foliage (deciduous).

The huge, grey-brown fruits, 800 x 120 mm. hang from long stalks, from December (summer) to June (winter) and weigh anything up to 9 kg!

The tree is found on riverbanks, where it may reach 20 m, along streams and on floodplains, also in open woodland, from KwaZulu-Natal to Tanzania.

Kigelia is based on an African name and africana means from Africa. The genus Kigelia has one species and occurs only in Africa.

It is one of the first trees to flower in the Kruger Park in early spring (August to October) - on a recent visit, after a prolonged, dry winter, the tree was 'alive' with insects and birds. We saw, in a short space of time, Black, Scarletchested and Whitebellied Sunbirds, Blackheaded Oriole, Sombre and Blackeyed Bulbuls, Masked Weaver, Brownheaded Parrot and Grey Lourie (which eats flowerbuds). Young monkeys sank their small faces deep into the flowers to get at the nectar, and duiker, kudu and impala were eating the fallen flowers. Elephant and kudu occasionally browse the leaves, and baboons, monkeys, bushpigs and porcupines eat the fruit. Epauletted fruit bats are thought to pollinate the flowers and Charaxes butterflies also visit the tree.

In Malawi, roasted fruits are used to flavour beer and aid fermentation. The tough wood is used for shelving and fruit boxes, and dugout canoes are made from the tree in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Roots are said to yield a bright yellow dye. Traditional remedies prepared from crushed, dried or fresh fruits are used to deal with ulcers, sores and syphilis - the fruit has antibacterial activity. Today, beauty products and skin ointments are prepared from fruit extracts. Fresh fruit cannot be eaten - it is said to be a strong purgative, and causes blisters in the mouth and on the skin. Green fruits are said to be poisonous. In time of scarcity, seeds are roasted and eaten.

Kigelia africana | PlantZAfrica (sanbi.org)

 

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