The leaves usually bear signs of insect damage, a feature so common it is considered characteristic of the species.

The individual flowers are difficult to see in the tight panicle until the stamens develop,[3] being only about a millimeter long.

[6] The fruit ripens over a long period continuing into the next flowering season, which begins around October.

[3] Its popularity rose after World War II when plywood was in demand, and during the mid-20th century it was one of the more valuable timbers in Central Africa.

It is suitable for furniture, and in house construction as panelling,[3] siding, roof shingles, and framing.

[6] The yellowish or reddish fat from the aromatic seed is called "kombo butter" or "Angola tallow".

[3] In Uganda the tree is grown in banana, coffee, and cocoa plantations to shade the crops.

[3] The bark has been used as a poison antidote and a treatment for leprosy, anemia,[3][6] infertility, gonorrhea, and malaria.

Seeds are sown in the field,[6] and seedlings are grown in plant nurseries until they have large taproots.

[3] Pest insects such as Monochamus scabiosus and Mallodon downesi and fungi such as Ophiostoma sp.

It is called mkungu mwitu in Swahili,[2] akwa-mili and oje in Igbo, lunaba and munaba in Luganda, akomu in Yoruba, calabo in Spanish,[3] and arbre à suif and faux muscadier in French.

[2] Local names include pó casson in São Tomé and Príncipe,[11] gboyei in Sierra Leone and Liberia, otie in Ghana, eteng in Cameroon, lolako in Zaire,[12] and adria, effoi, hétéré, qualélé, and walélé in Ivory Coast.