Conocarpus lancifolius

A shady evergreen to 20 m, with upward spreading branches, short bole and dense, fresh green foliage.
BARK: grey-brown, fissured.
LEAVES: smooth and shiny, to 10 cm long, narrowing towards the base, in dense spirals.
FLOWERS: yellow-green, in round heads on branched stalks, slightly fragrant.
FRUIT: in dry, round, greenish heads, cone like, containing tiny, scale-like hard seeds.

Medicine: Gum. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Conocarpus+lancifolius
The wood is durable in water.  An excellent timber, it can be used for ship building.
The wood provides a good fuel and a high quality charcoal can be made from it.

Native to the Coastal and Riverine areas of Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen. The tree is also found throughout the Horn of Africa and South Asia. Damas tree is a tall tree often very common in dry river valleys (wadis) in Somalia. It is now cultivated as it is one of the fastest growing local trees, 0-1,000 m. It tolerates sandy, saline and coral soils. Planted at the coast in Tanzania where its growth is fair. In Kampala, this tree can be found next to the Somalia’s embassy.

Very fast growing; can be coppiced and pollarded.