Big-leaf mahogany is indigenous to Uganda. The East African khayas are very similar in flower and fruit, differing in small features of leaves and fruit. However, they each grow in quite different areas. From Guinea Bissau to an eastern limit in northern Uganda, this species is found largely on alluvial valley soils of gallery forest and beside streams in higher-rainfall savanna. It grows in Budongo, in the northern section of deciduous forest as well as in Northern Region and Moyo District. The growth rate of young trees can be quite good. In Kampala, Big-leaf mahogany can be found within Makerere university among other places.

A semi-deciduous tree usually less than 20 m but up to 30 m, the bole often crooked, not or only slightly buttresses.

BARK: pale grey, upper bole smooth but cracking into irregular scales near the base.

LEAVES: even pinnate to 50 cm long clustered at branch ends with 6-10 stiff shiny leaflets, each one more than 12 cm long and 5 cm across, the tip with a sharp point, often twisted. New leaves are pink.

FLOWERS: cream white in heads to 35 cm beside leaves.

FRUIT: a rounded woody capsule, grey-brown, about 7 cm in diameter, breaking into 5 parts to release flat, oblong red-brown winged seeds.

Medicine: bark, and the roots. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=khaya+grandifoliola

Agroforestry: planted along the banks of rivers in order to stabilize them.

The bark is used for washing cloth.

A gum from the bark can serve as a useful formulating agent in the pharmaceutical industry and effective as a coating to extend the storage life of cassava roots, and it could also be used as ice cream stabilizer.

Extracts from the plant have shown pesticidal properties. Bark extracts showed nematicidal activity against Pratylenchus brachyurus bark and seed extracts showed toxic effects on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=khaya+grandifoliola

An ornamental tree

The wood is valued for carpentry, joinery, furniture, cabinet work and decorative veneer. It is suitable for light construction, light flooring, interior trim, ship building, musical instruments, toys, novelties, carving, turnery and pulpwood. It is also used for furniture, household implements and dug-out canoes

The wood is also used as fuel wood and for charcoal production.