Scientific Name: Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth

Family: Bignoniaceae

Common Name: Sausage Tree

Hindi Name: बालम खीरा

Description: Trees up to 10 m tall. Leaves 9-20 cm long, rachis ribbed, tomentose or sparsely so; leaflets 5-9, ovate-oblong to elliptic-ovate, 5-11 x 3-5.5 cm, coriaceous, scabrid, entire, acute or retuse, mucronate, base often oblique, midrib and veins prominent on undersurface, strigose. Panicles lax, pendulous. Flowers 6-7 cm broad. Calyx campanulate, glabrous. Corolla throat wide. Fruit probably not developed

Economic Importance:

• The wood is used as fuel.

• A black dye is obtained from the tannin-rich fruit pulp.

Medicinal Importance:

•  K. africana extracts contain phytoconstituents with good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Cultural Importance:

• Dried fruits are used to make an alcoholic beverage (muratina in Kikuyu, Aembu and kaluvu in Kamba), which is a core component in cultural events in central Kenya.