The leaves are variable in shape, but often with a broad apex and narrow middle, resembling a lyre or fiddle; they are up to 45 cm long and 30 cm broad (though usually smaller) with a leathery texture, prominent veins and a wavy margin.The fruit is a green fig 2.5–3 cm diameter.
It is native to western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone, where it grows in lowland tropical rainforest.