Hunteria umbellata grows as either a shrub or small tree up to 22 metres (72 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 40 centimetres (16 in). Its flowers feature a white, creamy or pale yellow corolla. Fruit is yellow and smooth. Habitat is forests from sea-level to 600 metres (2,000 ft) altitude. Its numerous local medicinal uses include for fever, leprosy sores, stomach and liver problems and as an anthelmintic, especially against internal worms. H. umbellata has been used as arrow poison. The plant's hard wood is used in carving and to make small tools. The plant is native to Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo.