The eared rattle-pod (Kaapse klapperpeul in Afrikaans) grows along the South African southern and eastern coastal belt and inland in Mpumalanga and the eastern parts of Limpopo. Horticultural use of this plant dates back to the eighteenth century. Its popularity can be related to the flowers, the pods, being evergreen and quick-growing.

The plant is browsed by livestock, although sometimes reported to cause stiff sickness in cattle; maybe this is due to confusing the plant with C. burkeana. The rattle-pod name comes from the noise made by dry pods when loosened seeds rattle about inside in the wind or when shaken. The Greek word krotalon meaning castanet, gave rise to the specific epithet in the name, playing upon the rattling sound (Coates Palgrave, 2002; www.plantzafrica.com).