This is a small to medium-sized, deciduous or semi-deciduous tree up to 12 m in height, occasionally reaching 20-25 m (max. 35). Bark light brown to very dark (almost black) and rough; branchlets are smooth and tend to droop. The young parts exude white latex when cut. S. ellipticum is common on the outskirts of evergreen forest and in wooded ravines. It is a tree of the afromontane rainforest and undifferentiated afromontane forest (mixed podocarpus forest), often in clearings, riverine forest also in secondary montane evergreen bushland and closed lowland forest. S. ellipticum is a source of firewood and is used to produce charcoal. The wood is soft, pale coloured, light in weight and tough, but not durable; it is used for tool handles and farm implements. Leaves and roots are used to treat mumps. The attractive trees are suitable for planting in amenity areas. Insect larvae that frequently infest the seeds straighten their bodies convulsively, causing the seeds to jump several centimetres into the air. Wood is liable to borer attack.