A bush or small tree depending on habitat. It is sparsely to heavily branched, with a crown of thick evergreen foliage.The plants contain latex (a characteristic of this family) in which alkaloids and glycosides occur, this latex is highly toxic if ingested.The flowers are white or tinged with pink and are sweetly scented. The fruit is a round or plum-shaped berry which turns purplish-black when ripe. The name Acokanthera is derived Greek and refers to the sharp anthers borne within the flowers. The species name refers to the opposite arrangement of the leaves on the twigs. The English and Afrikaans common names refer to the extreme toxicity of the plant which may have been used by the Koi-San people as an arrow poison.