Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Grass
Origin
Eastern Africa, Middle Africa
Mediterranean, Northern Africa
Types
Kigelia africana
Erianthus ravennae, Saccharum ravennae
Number of Varieties
9190
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverine forest, wooded grassland
marshes, Riverbanks
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-126-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
9 - 6
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,220.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
910.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Red, Tan
Purple, Silver
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Tan
Purple
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
White, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Purple, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Purple, Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Summer, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Vegetative
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs a lot of water initially
Water once every two or three weeks
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut back all stems to the same height
Fertilizers
Balanced liquid fertilizer monthly
0-10-10 NPK fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Leaf spot, Mealybugs, Rust
Drought, Edema
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Birds
Allergy
Poisonous when unripe
Noxious Weed
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Borders, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Acne, Slow downs aging
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Gynaecological, Malaria, STDs
-
Part of Plant Used
Dried seeds, Leaves
Leaves
Other Uses
Used to flavour beer, Used to produce a red dye
Cultivated for fodder
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
KIGELIA africana
SACCHARUM ravennae
Common Name
Sausage Tree
Hardy Pampas Grass, Plume Grass, Ravennagrass
In Hindi
Sausage Tree
Plume Grass
In German
Sausage Tree
Plume Gras
In French
saucisse Arbre
Plume Herbe
In Spanish
Árbol de salchicha
Penacho de hierba
In Greek
λουκάνικο δέντρο
Plume Grass
In Portuguese
Árvore de salsicha
Plume grama
In Polish
kiełbasa Drzewo
Pióropusz Trawa
In Latin
farciminis ligno
Kessinger Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Lilopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cyperales
Family
Bignoniaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Kaempferia
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Tecomeae
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
9400
1
27800
👆🏻