Macaranga capensis is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is a tree native to sub-Saharan Africa, ranging through eastern and southern Africa from southern Ethiopia to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, with an outlier population in Gabon in west-central Africa.
Macaranga capensis medium to large deciduous tree, typically 4.5to tall and occasionally up to 25m (82feet). It has a rounded spreading crown. It typically has a straight bole, and the trunk and branches are armed with short spines. The leaves are large, shiny, and dark green, ovate to triangular-ovate, long by wide, with a short drip-tip at the apex. Flowers grow in clusters of small creamy white or yellow blooms.[1] [2]
It generally grows in evergreen forests and along stream banks.[3]
The tree is harvested from the wild for timber and for local medicinal uses. It is planted as a shade or garden tree.[1]