It is known from West-Central Tropical Africa, between northern Angola, eastern Nigeria and western Democratic Republic of Congo.

The branches are without hair and carry alternately set, simple and entire leaves, without stipules at the base of the ½–1 cm (0.2–0.4 in) long leaf stalk.

[4] The hairless leaf blade is elliptical to oblanceolate, 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long and 1½–5 cm (0.6–2 in) wide, with a wedge-shaped base, a pointed tip, a dull or shining dark green upper surface and a dull dark green lower surface, and a central vein that branches feather-like into five to eleven pairs of side veins.

The petal further consists of a lanceolate to oblanceolate plate, with irregular burgundy-colored splashing, and a pointy tip.

The ovary, which may be clearly distanced from the base of the stamens by a gynophore, has (four or) five cavities and carries a short style topped by a (4– or) 5-lobed stigma.

The fruit is a globe-shaped berry of 3½–5 cm (1.4–2 in) in diameter, entirely red or mottled with grey, containing many seeds attached to the axis surrounded by pink pulp.

[5] Pentadiplandra brazzeana was first described by French botanist and physician Henri Ernest Baillon in 1886, who assigned it to the family Capparaceae, based on a specimen from Osika in Congo by Jacques de Brazza.

Analyses of the development of the flower and anatomic features suggest that Pentadiplandra is a relict genus branching off near the base of the core Brassicales.

[16] If factual, this avoidance behavior and the taste gene mutations may indicate a counter-adaptation to deter gorillas from foraging for low-calorie foods.

[20] In 2012 the company said that regulatory approval might take an additional one or two years[21] and in 2014 it still had not obtained a GRAS waiver from the FDA and was seeking partners,[22] and the product was still not on the market as of 2016.