Alstonia is indigenous to Uganda. A tree of swampy high forest in West Africa. Its widespread in the Central Region of Uganda, abundant in Budongo and Bugoma forests, and also found in the wooded grasslands of Iganga District. It prefers moist to well-drained soils and grows best in altitudes of 550-1000 m and a mean annual rainfall: 1500-2000 mm. In Kampala, this tree can be found at Makerere university, Sir Apollo Kaggwa road among other places.

A deciduous  tree to 65 m high, bole deeply fluted at the base like folds of a curtain, but straight above 10 m. The branches are quite characteristic in young trees, radiating from the trunk at the same level in whorls.

BARK: thick, light brown-green, then darker and rough, dotted with lenticels (breathing pores). When cut produces copious chalk-white latex and the scar is yellow dotted orange-pink.

LEAVES: simple and whorled 6-8 together at the ends of branchlets, each one long and oval to 20 cm x 5 cm, the upper half widest, lateral veins numerous and parallel, dark above and paler below, tip blunt.

FLOWERS: Seen on the bare tree white-cream, in rounded heads at the end of branches, each flower about 1 cm tubular, the 5 petals overlapping clockwise.

FRUIT: pairs of slender follicles 20-40 cm hang down, bright green then pale yellow when ripe. They split lengthwise to set free numerous seeds with tufts of brown hairs each end.

Medicine: the bark, roots, leaves, the sap, and the latex. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Alstonia+boonei

Agroforestry: a useful shade tree for coffee, tea and banana plantations, used as a pioneer species when re-establishing native woodland.

Latex obtained from the tree gives an inferior resinous coagulate which has been used to adulterate better rubbers.

The wood is suitable for light carpentry, veneers, boxes, moldings, pencils, match-splints, etc. It is also used locally for making wooden bowls and plates, toys, masks, canoes, etc., sound box of a Yoruba musical instrument, as logun, a kind of zither is made of it and it is also used in hut-construction for rafters and window-frames.

The wood is also used for fuel.