Pterocarpus rotundifolius subsp. rotundifolius is a deciduous tree, here growing a narrowly erect shape that in time should fill out to become more rounded. Most of the South African trees belong to this subspecies; the other two subspecies are found to the north, around the Zambezi and further.

The tree is commonly known as round-leaved teak or round-leaved bloodwood, belonging to the same genus as the well-known timber tree, P. angolensis, which it does not match in the quality of its timber (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2001).