Common Names: Red Mahogany, Mululu, Mushitikishichulu, Mbawa, Mlulu
Family: Meliaceae (Mahogany Family)
 

Growth Form, Habitat and Distribution 
A very large evergreen shade tree with a straight trunk, sometimes swollen or buttressed, and heavy, upward spreading branches giving a dense rounded crown. Occurring widely across Zambia at medium and low altitudes in evergreen forest and riparian woodland, except in the Kalahari sand areas of western Zambia. Similar to Trichelia emetica but with larger and a paripinnate (not imparipinnate) arrangement of leaflets. 
 
Size    Height up to 40m, spread 8 to 25m.
Bark    Grey-brown or darker, fairly smooth but dimpled and flaking.
Leaves    Spirally arranged, compound, paripinnate with 2 to 7 pairs of oblong-elliptical, leathery, leaflets (up to 17cm), dark glossy green above, paler below, apex sharp into a thin point. Petiole up to 12cm. The new leaves are reddish.
Flowers Small, sweet scented white (10mm) in loose axillary sprays up to 20cm, white to yellowish-green, September to November.
Fruit    A creamy brown, woody capsule (3 to 5cm), slitting into 4 or 5 valves curling back (hence the wooden banana name), splitting to release 30 to 60 winged seeds, the following June to October.
Uses    Widely planted along urban streets and as shade tree. The reddish wood is in demand for the timber trade, but is supply limited and threatened. 
Other species in Zambia: None. 6 other species in tropical Africa and Madagascar.