Dombeya is a flowering plant genus of around 250 species. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of flowering Dombeya to pears or hydrangeas, which are unrelated. They grow chiefly throughout Africa and Madagascar. The generic name Dombeya is in honour of Joseph Dombey, a French botanist and traveller in Peru and Chile (1742-1793).

Dombeya cymosa is commonly known as Smooth Dombeya and Natal Dombeya in English and Nataldrolpeer in Afrikaans. It is a South African indigenous species found growing in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. It has whitish bark & ovate leaves. This shrub or small deciduous and drought tolerant tree grows from 2 to 8 meters tall. It is marginally frost tolerant. The clusters of sweetly scented white flowers are borne from spring to autumn and are followed by hairy capsules with seed. This is a very good garden tree!