This is an evergreen tree, 4-18 m high. The mature leaves are leathery and dull, dark green, paler below. They are simple, oblong-lanceolate, about 100 mm long, have reddish leaf stalks are and clustered mainly at the end of the branches. When young, leaves are pale green and maroon. A hardy tree for a large, coastal garden setting, and for windy areas. Small, whitish or creamy yellow clusters of flowers appear on the branchlets. The fruits are thinly fleshed and spherical in shape, green when young and purple when matured. It is not uncommon to find flowers and fruit on the same tree. Fruits start appearing three months after the flowers. The flowers attract bees and flies, and the fruit is eaten birds, baboons, vervet monkeys, and bushpig. The wood is hard and used to make furniture and violins. The grey bark and sometimes the roots are used medicinally for respiratory problems, stomach, muscular and heart complaints. It can be used as a hardy screening plant, as it is dense, evergreen and sends out suckers to form bush clumps. It requires low maintenance, if planted in the right area, and is better not planted next to paved areas because roots and new suckers can sprout and damage the paving.