Plants trees, shrubs, or subshrubs, dioecious and plants unisexual or androdioecious (plants with male and bisexual flowers), young plants nearly always with stellate hairs, particularly on the infklorescences, sometimes simple hairs also present. Leaves alternate, usually odd-pinnate or trifoliate, rarely simple, usually clustered at the ends of branchlets; leaflets opposite or subopposie, entire or toothed. Inflorescences sometimes produced before the leaves, paniculate or spikelike. Flowers 4-merous, wth cup-shaped crenulate disks; male flowers with 8 stamens and a rudimentary pistil; female and bisexual flowers with stamens shorter than the ovary; ovaries ovoid, 4-celled, with 4 subterminal styles. Drupes ovoid to more or less oblong, with prominent style bases; endocarp woody, 1-2-celled by abortion, with 1-2 opercules at the top; seeds somewhat reniform, compressed.
Lannea includes about 40 species, most of which are native to tropica Africa and Socotra, with three extending into tropical Arabia and one to southern Asia and China.
Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.