Maerua angolensis is a 10m tall, occasionally deciduous tree of the Capparaceae or caper family, often growing on termitaria and in thickets fringing seasonal watercourses, up to 1800m.

The tree has a rounded crown and smooth grey bark flaking to reveal yellowish-orange patches.

Leaves are alternate and broadly elliptic to ovate, with rounded or notched apex and a terminal bristle (mucronate).

Leaf surfaces are often noticeably scratched by their rubbing against the bristles of surrounding leaves.

The fragrant, pincushion-like flowers are without petals and are produced in abundance at the beginning of the rainy season.

Filaments are numerous (c.50) and long, initially pale yellow then turning darker with age.

A slender, taller version of this species growing in the Socotra archipelago, Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen has been named Maerua angolensis subsp.

[3] The wood of this species is whitish-yellow, hard, dense and fine-grained, with a tendency to separate into concentric shells along the annual rings.

It is found in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, extending southwards into Angola, Botswana, Caprivi Strip, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Four subspecies and varieties are accepted:[1] Despite their unpleasant, bitter taste, the leaves are used by African rural tribes during famine periods as a food supplement, and also used as a purgative.

Instar larvae may defoliate a tree completely, but leaves regrow readily.

[9] Phytochemical analysis of the bark revealed glycosides, terpenes, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids and other constituents.

Further studies suggested that the bark is non-toxic in anti-inflammatory doses, supporting ethnomedical use of the plant in managing inflammation.