Pappea capensis Eckl. & Zeyh.

Much-branched shrub or tree to 15 m. tall; crown thick and rounded; bark dark grey, reticulate, rough or smooth save for small tesselations, variable according to fire regime; twigs tawny-pubescent when young, knobbly with raised leaf-scars, soon glabrescent, dark grey.. Petiole 0.3–1.7 cm. long, pubescent; petioles 0.7–1.8 cm. long; leaf-blades yellow-green, oblong or broadly or narrowly elliptic or obovate or occasionally oblong-lanceolate, 3–18 cm. long, 1.3–8 cm. wide, apex obtuse or emarginate or shortly acuminate, rarely acute, base asymmetric, truncate or rounded or cordate on one side, entire and undulate or rather rarely sharply serrate, the teeth 1–2.5 mm. deep, glabrous above apart from hairs on the larger veins, the lower surface softly hairy and glandular; lateral nerves in 12–20 pairs, strongly branched, venation closely reticulate.. Inflorescences spicate, in leaf-axils on short lateral shoots; axes 3–15(–25) cm. long, with dense subsessile clusters of white, yellow-green or yellow flowers; pedicels 1–5 mm. long.. Calyx 0.6–0.8 mm. long, densely whitish pubescent.. Petals 5, claw 0.6 mm. long, limb triangular, 0.4 mm. long, long-white ciliate, scale 0.2 mm. long.. Disk said to be glandular.. Stamens much exserted; filaments eventually 4 mm. long, pilose in the lower part; anthers triangular-ovate, with scattered hairs, the apex of the connective inflated; staminodes with 2 mm. long filaments and slightly smaller anthers.. Ovary rudiment a small cushion of hairs.. Fruit green-velvety when young, brown when mature, spherical, 8–12 mm. diameter, with a longitudinal ridge along which dehiscence occurs; interior of the valves glabrous.. Seed 6–9 mm. across.. Fig. 11.

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and subtropical places. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It suits moister places. It is often in open woodland and along rivers. It grows among rocks. Established trees can tolerate frost and drought. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 50-890 mm. It can grow in weakly salty soils. It grows between 30-2,400 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It also grows on termite mounds.

The fruit are eaten raw. They can also be made into drinks and jellies. They can be dried. The fruit can be used to make vinegar or used for beer. The seeds are the source of an edible oil. The inner bark is dried and grated to make a tea.

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. Seeds can be collected from fruit on the tree and the flesh is removed. Seeds sown in warm weather can germinate in 2 weeks. Seedlings can be transplanted at the 4 leaf stage. Trees can be cut back and allowed to re-grow.