Mammea africana is found in evergreen and semi deciduous forests in West and Central Tropical Africa.

[1] A medium to large sized tree that can grow up to 40 meters tall with a dark green crown of short spreading branches, it has a cylindrical and straight trunk, that can be up to 27 meters tall without branches.

[2] Flower is axillary on leafy shoots and cauliflorous, with buds that are globular; pedicel is up to 4 cm long, petals are 4, white and caducous, up to 3 cm long.

[2] Fruit is a thick drupe, warty, up to 10 cm long, pale yellow in color, it has a coriaceous exocarp, while the mesocarp is juicy and fibrous, yellowish in color, the seed in the endocarp can be up to 65.7mm (2.6 inches) long and 48.7mm (1.9 inches) in thickness.

[4] Extracts of the species are used to treat fever, stomach pains and skin infections such as scabies.