It is grown as an ornamental in gardens for its attractive glossy foliage and its clusters of tiny, scented, white flowers.

Its foliage is glossy, with tints of red, and it produces sprays of dense, fragrant, cream-coloured flowers from February to May (late austral summer to autumn).

This evergreen garden tree does not grow well in arid conditions, as it prefers a slightly more temperate climate, and requires a great deal of water in its first few years.

Cunonia capensis is increasingly cultivated across southern Africa as an ornamental specimen tree.

The tree is usually cultivated from its tiny seeds, and the young plants need ample water and some shelter from direct sunlight.