The beauty of the Sausage Tree

by November 5, 2008 Commute

Jayanagar, near the Ashoka Pillar, has an avenue (an avenue, by definition, is a tree-lined street), filled with, among other trees, Sausage Trees .

This is the time when the tree bears both flowers and fruits, and incredibly striking they are, too.

Here’s a flower and a bud:

061108 Jayanagar Ashoka Pillar Kigelia pinnata flower and bud

Here are some flowers, hanging down on their stalks:

sausage tree flowers on stalks

And these are what the fruits look like:

sausage tree fruits

The city planners planted such beautiful trees in the past, today’s officials are only thinking of cutting them down for "economic growth" and to ensure more vehicles can stuff up the barren, sterile roads without footpaths or trees….

Is it any wonder that I am participating in a walk that warns against indiscriminate tree-felling? ⊕

Sections:

About Deepa Mohan

Deepa Mohan is a freelance writer and avid naturalist.
Read more by Deepa Mohan

Comments:

  1. raj chandra.r says:
    November 10, 2008 at 6:52 pm

    Can any reader enlighten me about the use of the sausage fruit ! It is said that it’s pulp is eaten by many mammals ! Though i have been observing these fruits being wasted for many decades, i have not come across any animal trying to make a meal of it. Any one with more information ?

    Reply
  2. lila iyer says:
    December 2, 2008 at 10:04 am

    This tree has been imported from Africa. It is used as food in its native land. I dont think our Indian fauna have found it palatable.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

A four-hour commute: The daily transport struggles of women from Chennai’s resettlement areas

by July 7, 2026 Commute
Watch this video to understand how absence of last-mile connectivity and unreliable public transport in Chennai is failing those who need it the most.

Chennai has long had a tradition of public transport usage, with commuters having the choice of the suburban railway network, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses operating in the city and the Metro Rail for their daily transit. Despite the government introducing new services recently, especially electric buses, private vehicles numbers have soared and bus ridership has gone down considerably. Last mile connectivity issues, poor coverage in certain areas and the inability of the government to encourage residents to use public transport are major impediments. In fact, private vehicles make up 65 per cent of all motorised transport in the Chennai…

Continue reading

Similar Story

The infrastructure of waiting: How Bengaluru’s gridlock steals our right to time

by and June 13, 2026 Commute
Bengaluru needs accessible infrastructure that makes life easier for everyone, not tunnels and corridors built for a privileged few.

Selomi's text arrived at 7 am. "Let's leave by 8.30. The traffic will be brutal otherwise." We both live about 10 kilometres from the government office we had been going to every day for the last two weeks. The nearest metro station is four kilometres from our homes, which means forty minutes to reach it, twenty on the metro, and twenty-five on foot from Vidhana Soudha to the office. An hour and twenty minutes each way, assuming nothing goes wrong. In Bengaluru, something always does. By the end of the second week, we had the routine down. Coffee in a…

Continue reading