Zanthoxylum capense, the small knobwood, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae.

It occurs in the eastern regions of southern Africa, from the vicinity of Knysna, Western Cape to the Zimbabwean granite shield and coastal Mozambique.

It tolerates a range of altitudes, from highveld to coastal elevations, but is most prevalent in dry thickets or on rocky slopes and outcrops.

The fruit are round capsules of about 5 mm in diameter, fully covered with glands.

Similar species are the larger Z. davyi which is more limited to the mist belt regions, and Z. leprieurii that occurs in sand forests of subtropical lowlands.