Irvingia grandifolia (Engl.) Engl.

Tree 40 m tall; buttresses usually present, to 4 m high; bole straight and unbranched for 20 m; diam. above buttresses to 1.5 m; crown spreading and hemispherical; foliage sparse and regular; individual leaves clearly visible from the ground pendant; often deciduous or nearly so; flushing usually affects the whole tree at once; terminal branchlets 2.5-3-4.5 mm diam. Leaves large and pendulous, ovate to elliptic, occasionally oblong or very wide ovate, or obovate; apex broadly acute, often with a barely distinct blunt triangular acumen; base almost always cordate; length 10- 25 cm, width 8-15 cm; immature individuals with leaves to 35 cm long; fresh leaves often very slightly bullate; pressed leaves have secondary venation on the upper surface usually slightly impressed in contrast to the tertiary venation which is raised; secondary venation on under surface rather prominent in contrast to the tertiary which is not raised; quaternary venation tightly reticulate on both surfaces, areolae diam. less than 1 mm; flushing leaves pale red for one or two days before turning pale green; old leaves turn a distinctive bright red before falling and remain red on the ground for some time; drying greenish black or reddish on upper surface and matt grey undersurface. Inflorescence a panicle, terminal, branched to 8 cm long. Flowers subsessile and crowded on the axes; sepals 1-1.5 mm; petals 2-2.5 mm; disc 1.5 mm diam.; filaments 3- 4 mm long. Fruits ovoid to ellipsoid, occasionally slightly laterally flattened; length 4.5-6 cm, width 2.5-4 cm, thickness 2-3.5 cm; green turning yellow after falling; mesocarp soft, juicy and rather mucilaginous when ripe, sweet tasting but little sought after by humans. Seeds 2.8-3.4 cm long, 1.6-2 cm wide, 4-6 mm thick; endosperm present, visible on fresh and preserved specimens as a white layer 0.5-1 mm covering inside of the testa.

Source: Harris D.J. 1996. A Revision of the Irvingiaceae in Africa. Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique 65: 143-196.