Synonym: Pygeum africanum.
English: African cherry.
Region: central and southern Africa, Bioko, São-Tomé, Grande Comore,
Madagascar.
Habitat: moist; montane regions, at 900 to 3400 m above sea level; moderately frost-tolerant; light-demanding; secondary-forest.
BotanyTree; canopy; 30 to 40 m tall; impressive, spreading crowns.
Stem: large diameter; bark is black to brown, corrugated or fissured, and scaly, fissuring in a rectangular pattern.
Leaves: alternate; simple; 8 to 20 cm long; elliptical, bluntly or acutely pointed; glabrous; dark green above, pale green below; mildly serrated margins; central vein is depressed on top, prominent on the bottom; petiole is pink or red; ± 2 cm long.
Inflorescence: axillary racemes; 7 cm long.
Flowers: androgynous; 10 to 20 stamens; 3 to 8 cm long; greenish white or buff; flowers October through May.
Pollination: by insects
Fruit: a drupe, red to brown; ± 1 cm diameter, wider than long; two-lobed, with a seed in each lobe.