Those bearing lanceolate leaves may however resemble the Wild olive,[3] another common species of the interior plateaus.

[2] The plants carry a dense canopy of simple leaves of a dull grey-green colour and a rigid, leathery lineament.

[3] New branches and foliage are covered in rust-brown scales (gland granules),[2][9] while mature leaves may be hairy or glabrous.

[8] The leaf veins are clear and transparent against light, unlike the opaque venation of Wild olive trees.

[5] They are small, waxy, pendulous, yellow[8] to greenish-white and borne in axillary pseudo-racemes,[3][8] holding 3 to 10 flowers each.

[6] Bees are attracted to the sweet scent of the summer flowers, and larvae of the moths Ectoedemia crispae and Graphiocephala barbitias feed on the leaves.

The fruit are eaten by birds and mammals, including antelope, vervet monkeys,[6] mongooses and rats,[4] while the bark and leaves are browsed by Black rhino.