[1][2][3] The French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines described the bonaree in 1818 as Heterodendrum oleifolium,[4] and it was reclassified in the genus Alectryon in 1987.

Alectryon oleifolius grows as a large shrub to medium-size tree to 9 m (30 ft) high, with drooping branches.

In New South Wales it is found throughout the dryer parts of interior and west of the state,[1] most commonly on sandy soils with limestone associated with belah (Casuarina cristata).

[6] Although palatable and formerly lopped for drought fodder,[6] Alectryon oleifolius is toxic to livestock (particularly ruminants), as it contains cyanogenic glycosides which are converted to hydrogen cyanide when digested.

[6] Some populations of Alectryon oleifolius reproduce by suckering, forming small stands of clonal plants.