Hirtella zanzibarica Oliv.

An evergreen tree. It grows up to 20 m high. It has buttresses at the base. The bark is smooth and dark brown. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaf blade is 12 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are oval and can be wedge shaped at the base and taper to the tip. They are unequal on the sides and slightly hairy underneath. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. They are green to white. The fruit are 2.5 cm long by 1.4 cm wide. (The fruit of Hirtella megacarpa are slightly larger.) There is one seed.

Upland forests, sometimes in ravines, at elevations from 1,300-2,000 metres. Fringing forest and in various types of coastal forest at elevations from near sea level to 1,350 metres in Malawi and Mozambique.

The ripe fruit are eaten.

Can be grown by seedlings.