Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Pierre ex Heckel

Deciduous tree up to 40 m. high; trunk up to 25 m. high, and up to 1.5 m. in diameter 1.5 m. from the ground.. Bark rough, scaling, dark grey.. Wood soft, white, perishable.. Twigs up to 1 cm. diameter, sparsely lenticellate, densely ferruginous stellate-pubescent at first, soon glabrescent, with a thick pith.. Leaf-segments 3–7, elliptic-lanceolate to broadly elliptic, the median ones 10–30 cm. long, 5–15 cm. wide, the laterals somewhat smaller, long-acuminate to caudate-acuminate, acute, attenuate at base into the usually scarcely distinct pseudopetiolule, subentire or shallowly glandular-toothed, lateral nerves 15–25 pairs, glabrous or subglabrous above, subglabrous or initially or persistently densely silvery stellate-tomentose beneath, membranous.. Petiole 10–40 cm. long, with (0–)1–2 discoid glands ± halfway along on the adaxial surface, stellate-pubescent at first, soon glabrescent.. Stipules broadly flabelliform, 2–3(–5) cm. wide, with gland-tipped teeth 2–5 mm. long, palmately nerved, stellate-pubescent at first, soon glabrescent, persistent.. Male inflorescences 15–30(–40) cm. long, densely stellate-pubescent at first, soon glabrescent except in the axils of the branches; bracts subulate to linear, 3–7 mm. long, those in the lower part of the panicle, or occasionally all of them, with 1–3 globose, dark green glands on either side.. Male flowers: pedicels 1–2 mm. long, pubescent; sepals ovate, 3–4 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, pubescent without and within, greenish brown; petals ovate, 5–6 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, glabrous except for the pilose lower free margins, white, greenish white or pale yellow-green; disc-glands 4–6, ovate-suborbicular, yellow; stamens (7–)10–14, filaments inflexed in bud, later straightening and then 6 mm. long, anthers 0.75 mm. long.. Female inflorescences 6–10 cm. long, more robust than ♂; indumentum and bracts as in ♂.. Female flowers: pedicels 4–6 mm. long, pubescent; sepals and petals similar to those of ♂ but larger; disc crenellate, yellow-green; ovary 2–3-locular, globose, 5 mm. diameter, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 2–3, 4 mm. long.. Fruits 2–3-locular, bilobed or trilobed, 2–3-seeded, occasionally unlobed if one seed aborts, 2.5–3.5 cm. long, and 4–5 cm. wide when fresh, somewhat smaller when dried, glabrescent, green at first, becoming black when ripe.. Seeds compressed-subglobose, 1.3–1.7 cm. diameter, reddish brown.

A tropical plant. It is common in secondary forest. It grows between 200-500 m altitude. It requires 1,000 mm of rainfall but can grow in areas with 10,000 mm of rain per year. It needs light. It requires a temperature between 18-32°C. It needs free draining acid soils.

The dried kernels are ground and used in stews or eaten as a relish. They can be eaten raw or roasted. The nuts also yield an edible oil. The leaves are cooked as a vegetable. The kernels can be stored for many months.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate after 3-6 weeks. It can also be grown from leafy stem cutting, layering or side grafting. Trees can regenerate from the stump. (Seedlings are destroyed by a psyllid in Cameroon)