Cola verticillata (Thonn.) Stapf ex A.Chev.

A medium sized tree. It grows up to 24 m high. The trunk is straight. They bark is brown with cracks along it. The small branches have a waxy coating. The leaves are simple and usually in rings of 4. The leaves are 10-25 cm long and 3.5-9 cm wide. They are sword shaped and taper to the tip. They are leathery and dark green. The flowers are arranged in rings. They are in the axils of leaves and are hairy. The fruit are made up of 5 cells. These are nearly at right angles to the stem. They are green or brown and shiny. They are 20 cm long by 9 cm wide. There are 6-8 seeds. These are covered with a white skin.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland rain-forest near streams. In Nigeria it is recorded at 1,440 m above sea level.