Pterocarpus erinaceus is a highly valued savanna tree in West and Central Africa, important for timber, medicine, livestock fodder, and cultural uses, but now endangered due to overexploitation.
The bark, leaves, roots, and resin are traditionally used to treat diarrhea, fever, coughs, wounds, infections, and inflammatory conditions.
The foliage serves as an important dry-season fodder for livestock, while leaves and seeds are occasionally consumed by humans in some communities.
The wood and resin play key roles in traditional music, dyeing, body adornment, and spiritual practices such as protection rituals and marriage ceremonies.
The tree is slow-growing but drought- and fire-tolerant, propagated mainly by seed, managed through coppicing and pollarding, and contributes to soil fertility through nitrogen fixation.
