So this is how sausages are made

I know what you are saying........ Weird title!
Have I gone insane? Am I hungry?

Well the answer is no, as this weeks blog is about a great bit of detail that we find in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

So get ready to say "Jambo" as we travel to Africa!

At the end of Mombasa Marketplace you'll find a rather curious looking plant with long , hanging fruit in the shape of a sausage. Coincidentally enough, it's called a Sausage tree that was brought in by landscape designers and required special care from the park horticulture team to produce it's fruit without the bats that pollinate them in Africa.

Here are some facts about the real trees that are grown in South Africa:

The Sausage tree is also known as Kigelia Africana, it is a tropical species which occurs in the eastern part of South Africa, stretching from Natal to the Northern Province, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and further northwards as far as Tanzania.

The sausage-shaped fruit grows up to 50 centimeters in length and 10 centimeters in diameter. It is grey-green to pale brown in colour, hard and exceptionally heavy. The fruit hangs from a remarkably long stalk. The fruits fall from the trees in March/April of the following year. They lie undamaged on the ground for many months. They are definitely inedible and are reported to be poisonous, especially when still green.

Some African tribes regard the sausage tree as holy. Important meetings are held under the shade of the Sausage Tree and objects cut from the timber are worshipped.

Although the fruit is thought to be poisonous, it is still baked and added to beer brews to aid fermentation. In pulverized form, it is used to treat abscesses. A paste is made from the fruit and used to treat venereal diseases and rheumatism. (nice)


Well I hope you have enjoyed this weeks blog post! make sure to take the time and look at this amazing tree in Animal Kingdom.

Until next week
Look Closer!