Giant cola is native to Tropical West Africa. In Kampala, this tree can be found within Makerere university at Daghammersjold among other places.

Giant cola is a large evergreen tree growing up to 10 - 35 m tall, and sometimes 50 m tall in its natural habitat. The girth size can reach up to 1.5 m wide, has small and short buttresses

BARK: brown or grey and fissured.

LEAVES: large green adult leaves, ovate-shaped, measuring about 15 - 60 cm long and 10 - 45 cm wide, top surface smooth and underneath densely tomentose, young leaves 3 - 5 lobed, petiole measuring about 4 - 22 cm long.

FLOWERS: small white fragrant flowers borne on an inflorescence about 5 - 20 cm long, flower turns from white to pink upon aging, 

FRUITS: an ovoid follicle about 20 cm long, splits open when ripen to release seeds.

An ornamental tree.

Medicine: bark, gum, and fruit. https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.upwta.5_249

Agroforestry: provides fodder, used in land conservation and provides shade.

The wood provides building and carpentry materials.

Can be used as a fuelwood.

The tree produces gum and resins.