Psychotria capensis, the bird-berry, is a southern African evergreen shrub or small tree.

Kew lists some 2,000 species of Psychotria growing throughout the warmer regions of both hemispheres, but only two of them occur in southern Africa, namely P. capensis and P.

It grows to some 3 to 8 meters tall, and has a slender trunk, with horizontal branches and pale brown bark.

The elliptic to obovate leaves are large (70-150 x 15-60 mm), leathery, glabrous, dark green above and paler below.

Leaves evergreen, shining above, paler below, widely lanceolate, elliptic or obovate-oblong, 3-6 inches long, 1/2 – 1 1/2 inches wide, shortly petioled, distinctly veined, rounded at the apex or bluntly pointed, glabrous above, and either glabrous or pubescent below.