The fruits are oblong and fairly large, being 8 to 18 cm in length by 3.5 to 6 cm in diameter. They are glabrous, either rigged or angular, and loculicidal, meaning that they open spontaneously at maturity along the capsule wall in between the sections of the locule. They contain many seeds that are 5 to 6 mm in length, all of which have a woolly indument, that is a cotton-like fibre covering. Many parts of the plant are utilised for medicinal and traditional purposes. In Ghana, where it is native, the leaves are common as fodder for domestic livestock. The bark is burnt to produce a smoke that is believed to drive away evil spirits called "alizini" in Dagbani. The abundant thorns present on the bark are burnt and the resulting charcoal is mixed with butter to treat swelling. Dried gum produced from the tree is used as an incense. The wood is quite light, which limits its uses to canoes and other implements. A dye can be made from the tannins within the bark, while the cotton-like fibre that covers the seeds is gathered and used as a cotton substitute. It cannot be spun, however, so its use is limited to a stuffing for pillows and clothing. Both the flowers and the young fruits are used in food. Various ethnic groups of northern Ghana such as the Mamprusi and Konkomba people dry and grind the flowers' calyces and use them in a soup (comparable to the use of calyces of the Sahelian red-flowered kapok tree, "Bombax costatum").