What is the significance of the ';South African Sausage Tree'; only blooming at night? And is the fruit edible?

a wonderfully interesting tree!!.....bat pollinators....still looking about edible... but knowing the rest of the family, I'd say no...ah, here it is.....useful, but not really 'edible'....





http://www.foodreference.com/html/f-saus鈥?/a>





http://waynesword.palomar.edu/sausage.ht鈥?/a>What is the significance of the ';South African Sausage Tree'; only blooming at night? And is the fruit edible?
These are magnificent trees and are often used in larger gardens as ';feature plants';. They bloom at night and are pollinated by bats. The fruit is not edible (humans) but the seeds are dried and roasted during famine. Rule number one... never park your car under one of these quys. The sausages are very heavy (up to 7 kg) and can make a serious dent in your car. The flowers are large .. up to 150mm across. Gorgeous but not great smelling. Used locally for muthi and is good for acne.