Hi Dennis - thank you very much for your reply and the information about pruning a bottle tree - that gives me the confidence now to go ahead and give it a good trim!

I heard about the droughts you are experiencing over there and I hope the rainfall situation will improve for you very soon.

To answer your question about sausage trees (Kigelia africana) - they are native to tropical Africa and have huge sausage-like fruits which are a serious health hazard if you are walking underneath the tree when they fall!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigelia