Evergreen forest tree up to 10m. Leaves, glossy, bright green, elliptic with a fine tapering point. Flowers very small, creamy-white, in lax flowerheads. Fruit purple when mature, oblong to elliptic.

Wood was used to make railway sleepers, flooring blocks and bridge construction.

This species has more elliptic leaves than Olea capensis subsp.capensis, has smaller fruit and grows in forest as opposed to coastal bush. The wood of Olea capensis subsp. capensis is not as hard as that of Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa and was rarely used.