The African dogwood is a very attractive dense shrub or a small tree that grows up to 4.5 m high. The leaves are light green when young and very dark and shiny when mature. This tree is no relation of the American and Asian dogwoods, Cornus species grown for their attractive bracts. The flowers are greenish, blooming between November and January, in small clusters in the axils of the leaves. They are loved by bees and other insects. The edible fruits are about the size of a pea (about 5 mm in diameter), roundish and clearly divided into three compartments. They appear between December and June. They are fleshy and green, turning red and then purple as they ripen. The fruit is favoured by many bird species. The wood is white to yellow, often streaked with brown, pink, red or green and is hard and heavy. It is too small to be generally useful, although walking sticks may be made of it. This is a widespread species reaching from Swellendam through the Eastern Cape, Free State and Lesotho to KwaZulu Natal, Swaziland and into Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Northern Province, extending northwards into Africa. It grows from sea level to an altitude of about 2 100 m, on mountain and wooded hill slopes, in forests and on stream banks, frequently among rocks. This tree is most dominant in the area between Estcourt and Giants Castle in KwaZulu Natal. On grassy hillsides the tree often appears quite black, or at times it glitters in the sun so conspicuously that it can then be distinguished at a distance by this alone. The chief use of this tree is magical. It is widely used by African people as a protective charm to ward off lightning and evil influences from homes and crops and to bring luck in hunting. The South Sotho name ‘Mofifi’ means ‘darkness’, and in Lesotho they say “darkness overcomes witchcraft”. This tree is also used by Africans to cleanse the blood, to treat pneumonia, rheumatism, sprains, and stomach ache, and as a gargle. It is also used in the treatment of skin complaints and respiratory infections.