The main stem of Lannea discolor is usually straight and erect. Old stems are covered in grey to dark grey bark, sometimes with a coppery tinge. The bark is initially smooth, showing a little roughness from cracking and vertical streaks.

Young branches are thick up to their tips, scattered scars showing where leaves had dropped off.

The wood is soft, used for carving utensils. The tree grows fast, but is frost-sensitive. The bark is stripped and used as twine, also in traditional medicine (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Pooley, 1993).