Sausage tree

The sausage tree’s fruits are large and shaped like, you guessed it, sausages. They can be up to 90 cm long, 10 cm in diameter and weigh up to 10 kg. The sausage tree is commonly grown as an ornamental. However, it should be planted with care, as the fruits can cause serious damage if they fall on a person or a car.

The fruits are eaten by a variety of animals such as giraffes, elephants, hippopotamuses and baboons. The seeds are dispersed in the animals’ excrement.

You may be lucky enough to see the sausage tree flower in the greenhouse. The large, bell-shaped, reddish flowers hang down from the crown on long stalks. 

In its natural habitat, the flowers are pollinated by bats and moths that visit to feed on the nectar. In the greenhouse, we have attempted to pollinate the tree by hand; however, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful, as the tree has not produced any fruit.

Fact box:

• Greenhouse location: Tropican house
• Danish name: Pølsetræ
• Latin name: Kigelia africana
• Family: Catalpa family / Bignoniaceae
• Natural habitat: Tropical Africa