Brachystegia utilis Hutch. & Burtt Davy

Tree 6–15(–20) m. high; bark narrowly fissured and rather finely reticulate, grey at first, becoming rough and shedding slowly in rather thick scales, often brown to black in age; crown rounded or flattish, dense, bushy; mature foliage rather dark green.. Stipules free, subulate from a broader oblique base or falcate-subfoliaceous, 0.5–1.5 cm. long, usually caducous; auricle 0.. Leaves with 5–10(–12) subequal pairs of leaflets, the pairs contiguous or slightly spaced; petiole (2–)4–8(–10) mm. long; rhachis (4–)5–9(–12) cm. long, channelled, very narrowly winged, usually pubescent to tomentose with spreading hairs; stipels consisting of short semilunar expansions, closely below each pair of leaflets, or 0; leaflets mostly oblong to elliptic and rounded at both ends, (1–)2–4(–5) × 0.5–1.5(–1.8) cm., often retuse, sometimes mucronate, rarely narrowed at apex, asymmetric but rarely very oblique at base; midrib subcentral; basal fanwise nerves 2–3(–4); surfaces usually mat and concolorous, closely reticulate, densely pubescent to glabrous.. Panicles terminal or terminal and axillary, up to 5 × 5 cm., pubescent to tomentose (more so than the leaves) with spreading brown or rusty hairs.. Flowers small, greenish; bracteoles 4–5(–6) × 3–4 mm.. Tepals usually all sepaloid and broad, imbricate; outer 5(–6) subequal, up to 3 × 2 mm., free or with 2 or 3 partly connate, thin, margin usually translucent, glabrous or shortly and sparsely ciliate; inner 0 or 1, narrow or rudimentary.. Stamens ± 10; filaments free, 6–8 mm. long.. Ovary 2–3 × 1 mm., very densely crispate-setose; style 6–7 mm. long; stigma small.. Pod thinly woody, up to 12 × 3.5 cm. (usually seen much smaller), smooth, maturing yellowish or pinkish-brown, at first ± pruinose; sutural wings thin, normally spreading, each up to 4 mm. wide.. Fig. 35/10, p. 160.

Deciduous woodland, locally dominant or co-dominant; typically in zones or groups on ridges, scarps and slopes, notably in shallow, stony or gritty soils over granite, etc.; flat sandy areas; below Brachystegia microphylla; etc.

Can be grown by seedlings.