The genus Sparmannia is in the family Malvaceae in the major group Angiosperms.

Sparmannia ricinocarpa is an East African plant that grows from Ethiopia and South Sudan to South Africa and southwest into Angola. Sparmannia ricinocarpa also grows in mountainous grassland. Sparmannia ricinocarpa grows into a shrub of up to 2 meters tall. From winter to spring Sparmannia ricinocarpa bears showy white flowers which are followed by distinctive spiky seed capsules. Sparmannia ricinocarpa is usually found growing on the margins of moist evergreen forests.