Kigelia africana The sausage tree (also sometimes called Kigelia pinnata) belongs to the family Bognoniaceae. This family contains trees, shrubs and climbers including the exotic jacaranda tree. Its unique sausage-shaped fruit, sometimes over a metre in length, and weighing as much as 10kg, has inspired a wide variety of vernacular names, including one, in South Africa, that means ‘the fat tail of a sheep’. The sausage tree draws its name from its large, sausage-shaped fruit, suspended from lengthy stalks. The hard, grey fruit has a thin skin covering a firm, fibrous fruit pulp containing numerous small, unwinged seeds. When the fruit itself eventually dries, the remaining fibre is sometimes mistakenly thought to be a loofah. This tree is also known for its medicinal properties being used for skin problems by Africans and now recognized by various companies.