The Baphia genus belongs to the Fabaceae family. It consists of shrubs, small trees and vines.

Baphia racemosa is an evergreen shrub with white flowers that stand out against the green forests and fill the air with a strong violet scent. Baphia is a genus of about 80 species; 45 of these are confined mainly to the tropics and subtropics of Africa, extending to KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa and to the lowland forest areas of western Madagascar. Thirty-one of the 45 African tropical species occur at an altitude of 1000 m or below. The remaining 14 species have a wide altitudinal range of 0 to 1800 m. South Africa is home to two species of Baphia, namely B. racemosa and B. massaiensis subsp. obovata var. obovata. Baphia racemosa occurs in two provinces of South Africa. It is found along the coastal belt from Eastern Cape to the coastal forests of KwaZulu-Natal, extending up to the border of Mozambique and Swaziland. B. massaiensis is widely distributed from East Africa to Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. Within South Africa it is restricted to a small area in the northeast of Limpopo. B. racemosa is found in coastal swamps, riverine forests, areas of secondary regrowth, lowland areas and forest-savanna habitats.