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Multi stemmed shrub or small tree, with short, rigid lateral branches and pinkish red young growth; occurring in bushveld, forest, rarely in sand forest. Lateral branchlets frequently reduced to stout, opposite spines, leaves opposite or clustered on reduced lateral shoots, obovate to elliptic, 15-70 x 8-23 mm, glossy dark green, paler green below, hairless; venation obscure when held up to the light; margin wavy; petiole up to 2 mm long. Flowers axillary, solitary, large and attractive, white inside, pink to reddish on the outside, sweetly scented. Fruit tough and leathers, subglobose, 14-20 x 14-16 mm, dark brown to blackish, tipped by the tubular remains of the calyx.
Shrub, 2.7-7.0 m high; spines frequently present, upwardly angled, less often patent. Leaves usually congested, ± obovate or elliptic, lateral nerves obscure to apparent; petioles up to 5 mm long. Flowers usually solitary; peduncle up to 2 mm long; corolla white inside, rose pink to deep-red outside; tube 15-50 mm long, glabrous to puberulous towards apex outside; lobes contorted to the right. Flowering time Nov.-Mar. Fruit spherical to broadly ellipsoid, up to 20 x 15 mm, dark brown to blackish, fairly thin-walled, crowned by persistent, calyx-forming, short, apical funnel.
A small erect tree. It grows 3-6 m high. It often has short spines. The branches are stiff. It usually has many stems. The leaves are shiny and dark green. The leaves are in pairs or sometimes in threes. The leaf blade is narrow sword shaped. It tapers to a short stalk. The leaves are 7 cm long by 2 cm wide. There are a few flowers in clusters at the ends of branches. They are funnel shaped and white but sometimes with pink. They have a scent. The fruit is round and 2 cm across. They can be 3.5 cm across. They are black when ripe. The fruit are edible.
Leaves congested into fascicles at apex of brachyblasts and lateral branches or occasionally paired; blades 1.5–7 × 0.8–2.3 cm, narrowly obovate to obovate or sometimes elliptic to broadly elliptic, acute or sometimes obtuse at apex, cuneate at base, glabrous, subcoriaceous, shiny above, drying brown or green; lateral nerves obscure to apparent and tertiary nerves obscure; petiole 1.5–2(5) mm long; stipules 3–5 mm long, seldom persisting beyond apical node.
Flowers 5-merous, usually solitary (rarely up to 3), borne in one axil near apex of branch or brachyblast (but may appear terminal or clustered due to congestion of branches), sessile to shortly pedunculate; peduncles up to 2 mm long; pedicels up to 2 mm long; bracteoles 1–3 mm long; ovate, acuminate, ciliate.
Corolla white, usually with red or pink streaks on the lobes outside; tube 1.5–5 cm long, glabrous or with short appressed hairs towards top outside, lobes 1.4–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic or somewhat obovate, with short hairs on both surfaces.
Shrub or small tree up to 8.5 m tall; spines usually present, upwardly angled or infrequently patent, sometimes developing into lateral branches; brachyblasts often present between the spines and leaf scar; young branches with ash-grey or fawn-grey bark.
Calyx tube 2–3 mm long; limb 4–6 mm long, divided into rather rounded ciliate teeth near apex, or rarely with linear teeth up to 5 mm long, glabrous outside, glabrous or pubescent towards apex inside.
Fruit 1.4–2 × 1.4–1.5 cm, ± spherical to broadly ellipsoid; calyx limb persistent.
Style ± equalling corolla tube; stigmatic club 1.2–1.3 × 0.2 mm.
Seeds 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 × 2 mm, ± sublenticular, light brown.
