Euclea crispa subsp. crispa Gürke

A dense upright shrub 1-2 m in height, often forming almost pure stands over a small area, or a slender tree 8-20 m high. Bark: grey, smooth becoming slightly rough with age; branchlets and young parts often hairy and with rusty brown granules (glands). Leaves: opposite to sub-opposite or sometimes spirally arranged on long shoots, very variable, lanceolate, oblanceolate to elliptic, or ovate to obovate, 1.5-5 x 0.5-1.5 cm, occasionally up to 10 x 4 cm, leathery, erect, bluish green or grey to light or dark green, undersurface paler with midrib ridged and lateral veins distinct or indistinct, with or without short hairs on both surfaces which are often lost by maturity; apex tapering to rounded, sometimes notched; base tapering; margin entire or occasionally minutely scalloped, slightly to markedly wavy, often rolled under; petiole slender, 1.5-2 mm long. Flowers: very small, inconspicuous, greenish to yellow, drooping, in 3-to 10-flowered axillary racemes up to 3 cm long, sweetly scented; ovary densely covered with short bristle-like hairs (Oct.-Feb.). Fruit: round, about 4-5 mm in diameter, thinly fleshy, reddish brown finally becoming black, in sprays about 2 cm long, sparsely to very hairy (Apr.-Dec.).