The lavender croton, laventelkoorsbessie in Afrikaans, is a small to medium sized tree, typically reaching 5 m (SA Tree List No. 328). On the Witwatersrand, the colder extreme of the tree's distribution area, they become barely 2 m tall. It may, however, occasionally reach 10 m in height in South African open bushveld on rocky outcrops where conditions are favourable. The tree grows widespread in the northern parts of South Africa, but the distribution area lies predominantly beyond the northern border of the country, in central Africa where this tree may reach heights of 20 m (Coates Palgrave, 2002; www.plantzafrica.com).