 It is native primarily in West Africa, where it is found in rainforests from Sierra Leone in the northwest, east to Uganda and south to Gabon, typically at elevations of 900 to 1200 metres.A large tree, it often reaches heights of 40 metres (130 feet) with buttress roots up to 6 metres (20 feet) in diameter.The bark of younger trees is covered with spines and large, deep pink-to-red flowers emerge while the tree is leafless.