Rothmannia capensis is a South African tree belonging to the Rubiaceae, usually about 5 m high in the open, but reaching 20 m under forest conditions. It occurs from the south-western Cape Province along the coastal regions and inland to the Waterberg and Soutpansberg in the Transvaal. It is a common tree on the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. It produces abundant sweetly fragrant flowers in summer, and these are followed by smooth, dark green spherical fruits about 80mm in diameter. The blackish bark has a distinctive rectangular pattern of fine cracks.

Rothmannia capensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Genus:	Rothmannia
Species:	R. capensis
Binomial name
Rothmannia capensis Thunb.
Synonyms
Genipa rothmannia (L.f.) Baill.

The genus was named for Göran Rothman (1739–1778) by Thunberg – both were pupils of Linnaeus.