The trunk of mature trees can range from 150 to 300 cm in diameter, and unbranched for the first 10 to 20 meters from the ground.

[2] The tree is widespread and locally plentiful, and is rated "least concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The western populations, in the highlands of Cameroon and Nigeria and in the Angolan highlands, diverged from the other populations around 300,000 years ago, and the species reached its current distribution pattern about 200,000 years ago.

It produces straight pale yellow timber, which is fine-grained and easily sawn and worked.

[2] Parts of the tree have minor local uses as food (the fleshy receptacles at the seed base) or medicine (bark or leaves).