Appearance
In the open, this evergreen species grows as a tall shrub or small tree of about 5 meters in height.However, in a more shady environment, such as deep afro-montane forest, it can reach a height of over 20 meters. Its dense, shiny foliage is bright-green and it has smooth, gray bark.
It frequently produces masses of tiny, white, bisexual blossoms which have a sweet fragrance. These are followed by strangely curved, black and scarlet berries. In South Africa this is officially a protected tree.
This is a very difficult tree to identify at first. In particular, it is often confused with ''Pterocelastrus rostratus'', including at the First International Forestry Exhibition. The best identifying characteristics of ''Apodytes dimidiata'' are its petiole and young terminal branchlets which are a unique reddish colour.
Distribution
''Apodytes dimidiata'' is a prominent and common tree in South African forests. It grows naturally from Cape Town in the south, all the way along the east coast of southern Africa as far north as Kenya and inland as far as Gauteng.It is usually found in coastal thicket, afro-montane forest and mountainous bushveld.
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