The plant has a deeply fissured to cracked grey bark and fibrous slash turning brown .

[3] In West African Sahel environments, research identified that some cropped fields with Piliostigma reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis have better soil quality than fields without these shrubs, both species perform hydraulic redistribution, which helped improve soil fertility.

[3] Extracts of the species is used by locals as an antiseptic and to treat a variety of illnesses;[6] root extracts are used by herbalists to treat diarrhea, gonorrhea, uterine pain, liver and gall pains while bark decoctions are used in the wound healing process.

Extracts of leaves are used to treat a variety of issues including cough, bronchitis, and rheumatism.

[3] The species is also noted as a forage stock in the Sahel region; leaves, pods and branches are sold by farmers to herders for cattle fodder.