Kigelia africana branches

The stems of Kigelia africana are brownish grey and fairly smooth. They flake in thin, irregular patches from the boles of large and old trees. The main stem is short from low branching and stout, reaching 80 cm in diameter. Branches spread into a rounded crown. Some shallow crossways folds may be seen on some parts of a stem. Terminal branchlets are fairly thick.

K. africana wood is pale yellow to pinkish, fine-grained and heavy. It has been variously used as timber, for instance to furnish roof beams and dugout canoes.

Sausage trees have successfully been planted as ornamentals as far south as the Western Cape. They are slow growing and susceptible to frost, but once established, they succeed in conditions well beyond those of their natural habitat (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Poynton, 1975).