Large, dioecious tree up to 50 m tall; bole straight, cylindrical, branchless for up to 25(–30) m, up to 2.5(–3) m in diameter, buttresses absent or small; surface roots often long and prominent, red-brown with yellow lenticels; outer bark grey to dark brown or black, lenticelled, becoming scaly, inner bark thick, fibrous, cream-coloured speckled with orange-brown spots, exuding a white or yellowish latex; crown spreading; branches obliquely ascending. Leaves distichously alternate, simple; stipules free, slightly clasping the stem, up to 5 cm long, caducous; petiole 1–6 cm long; blade oblong to elliptical, 6–20(–33) cm × 3.5–10(–15) cm, base cordate to obtuse, often very unequal, apex acuminate, margin almost entire to wavy but toothed in juvenile specimens, papery to leathery, above glabrous or slightly hairy on the main veins, below densely short-hairy between the finest veins, pinnately veined with 10–22 pairs of lateral veins. Inflorescence a catkin, usually solitary in leaf axils or on leafless nodes at the base of twigs, white hairy, flowers numerous in longitudinal rows alternating with rows of bracts; male inflorescence 8–20(–32) cm × 0.5–1 cm, hanging, peduncle 0.5–2.5 cm long; female inflorescence 2–4 cm × 0.5–2 cm, peduncle 0.5–2 cm long. Flowers unisexual, 4-merous, sessile; male flowers c. 1.5 mm long, white, tepals 4, basally fused, stamens 4 and inflexed in bud, rudimentary pistil present; female flowers 2–3 mm long, with 4 basally fused tepals, greenish, ovary superior, c. 1 mm long, 1-celled, stigmas 2, one 3–7 mm long, the other up to 1 mm long. Fruit an ellipsoid, compressed achene 2.5–3 mm long, arranged in infructescences up to 5 cm × 1.5 cm. Seed c. 2 mm long.

Aphrodisiac (decoction of the root and stem bark); galactagogue, aphrodisiac, tonic and purgative (bark); galactogogue (latex and leaves maceration)

PROTAbase: Milicia excelsa

A root decoction is taken to treat female sterility. Preparations from the bark are taken to treat cough, asthma, heart trouble, lumbago, spleen pain, stomach pain, abdominal pain, edema, ascites, dysmenorrhoea, gonorrhoea, general fatigue, rheumatism and sprains. Bark preparations are externally applied to treat scabies, wounds, loss of hair, fever, venereal diseases and sprains. They are applied as an enema to cure piles, diarrhoea and dysentery. The latex is applied on burns, wounds, sores and against eczema and other skin problems. It is also taken against stomach problems, hypertension and for treatment of tumours and obstructions of the throat. Leaves are eaten to treat insanity. A decoction of the leaves is taken for treatment of gallstones. Leaf preparations are externally applied to treat snakebites and fever and as eye drops to treat filariasis.