Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin

Usually a tree 5–15 m. high, with flat or rounded spreading crown, but sometimes shrubby or flowering from coppice shoots 0.3–2 m. high; bark rough or smooth when young, grey; young branchlets puberulous to pubescent or tomentose, soon glabrescent.. Leaves: stipules intrapetiolar, about 3–5 mm. long, connate below, bicuspidate above, non-foliaceous, very caducous; petiole with rhachis (3–)5–20 cm. long; leaflets in (2–)4–6(–8) pairs, narrowly oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, or sometimes narrowly obovate-oblong, (1–)2–8.5(–11.5) cm. long, (0.6–)1–3.3(–5.6) cm. wide, obtuse or rounded and sometimes slightly emarginate at apex; margins fringed with whitish pubescence.. Panicles up to ± 30 cm. long and wide, brown-tomentellous or shortly tomentose; bracts 2–10 mm. long, usually half as long to more than as long as the bracteoles (occasionally only one-third as long); pedicels of open flowers 2–6 mm. long.. Bracteoles 7–10 mm. long, 6–9 mm. wide.. Sepals oblong, not or only slightly wider above than below, non-contiguous, 2.5–4.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide.. Petals white; larger one ovate, shortly clawed, 6.5–9 mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide; others oblanceolate to oblanceolate-spathulate or linear, 3–8 mm. long, 0.5–3 mm. wide.. Pods obovate-oblong or oblong, 4–9 cm. long, 2–3.2 cm. wide, brown-tomentose.. Seeds dark brown, 1.3–1.6 × 1–1.5 cm.. Fig. 30/1–11.

Deciduous woodland; often the commonest and dominant tree in Brachystegia areas; usually with B. spiciformis and forming tsetse-fly habitat; poor, residual plateau soils; escarpment slopes; at elevations from 490-1,950 metres.

Can be grown by seedlings.