Balam Khira / Common Sauceage Tree
Kigelia africana
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- March-December
How to identify Balam Khira
Identify Balam Khira by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Huge sausage-shaped hanging woody fruit.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound.
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Bignoniaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Balam Khira.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Kigelia africana
- Genus
- Kigelia
- Family
- Bignoniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Planted
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Africa
- Distribution
- Cultivated in tropics
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Kerala, Punjab, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Jharkhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Balam Khira itself; the rest are typical of the Bignoniaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Balam Khira itself; the rest are typical of the Bignoniaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बालम खीरा Balam khira, झाड़ फ़ानूस Jhar fanoos, क्कीग्गॅळीआ आफ़्ऱीक्काण्
- Tamil
- சிவகுண்டலம், மரச் சுரைக்காய்
- Kannada
- ಆನೆತೊರಡುಕಾಯಿ Aanethoradu Kaayi, ಮರಸೌತೆ Mara Sowthe, ಕಿಗೇಲಿಯಾ ಆಫ್ರಿಕಾ ನ
- Malayalam
- ശിവകുണ്ഡലം
- Marathi
- ब्रह्मदंड, आफ्रिकन सॉसेज ट्री
About Balam Khira
A member of the Bignoniaceae family, Common Sauceage Tree (Kigelia africana) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 19 other states. It is planted. Flowering and fruiting run from March to December.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Bignoniaceae
Trumpet vine family
Balam Khira belongs to the Bignoniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Bignoniaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Balam Khira or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides