Meet Maryborough’s Quirky Sausage Tree

Tucked near the cenotaph in Queen’s Park, Maryborough, the African sausage tree (Kigelia pinnata africana) is a botanical wonder with a cheeky twist. Known for its massive, sausage-like fruit, this tree isn’t just a conversation starter – it’s a piece of natural art also known as the fetish tree.

The fruit, which can weigh up to 10kg and hang from stalks up to 182cm long, isn’t for the faint-hearted. While it’s poisonous to humans, hippos in Africa adore these woody snacks and get a high kick out of them.

Zambezi River hippos have been observed travelling 15 miles overnight to munch on the fruit, returning to the river at dawn – presumably with a slight skip in their step, thanks to the hallucinogenic seeds.

Maryborough’s sausage tree might not feed hippos, but it certainly feeds the imagination. In bloom, its red, trumpet-shaped flowers are a sight to behold, attracting birds and insects alike. This extraordinary tree adds a touch of exotica to Queen’s Park, a serene space also known for its heritage features and interesting botanic specimens.

Maryborough’s park creator, Commissioner of Crown Lands John Bidwill, brought plants from afar for Queen’s Park and grew the first sausage tree outside the courthouse near Richmond Street.

Luckily a later parks director, Tom Ryan, took cuttings and struck some saplings. When retired he noticed water gathering beneath the majestic mother tree, but the council failed to act on his alarm. A burst water pipe rotted the tree’s roots and killed it but its offspring is thriving beside the famous Cenotaph.

Another smaller tree from a cutting is now also thriving and hopefully soon to produce sausages beside the courthouse where the original tree lived and died.