Plants shrubs or trees to 8 m tall, spiny; stems and spines grey-green when young, glabrous or puberulent to pubescent; spines arising (1)2-5(10 cm above the leaf axil, (2)2.5-7.5(11) cm long, often bearing secondary spines. Foliage leaves alternate on stem and spines, sessile or subsessile, bifoliate; leaflets sessile, round to broadly ovate or obovate-elliptic, 0.75-6,5 cm long, 0.8-4.8 cm wide, usually leathery, often undulate, rounded to broadly cuneate at the base, rounded to truncate at the tip, glabrous or pubescent; scale leaves occasionally present on young growth. Inflorescence ofsolitary flowers or sessile to pedunculate clusters of 8-12 flowers. Flowers 4-merous, radially symmetric, pedicellate, pedicels 2.5-16mm long, glabrous or pubescent. Sepals 3.5-5.5 mm long, sparsely hairy. Petals 3-6.5 mm long,obovate-elliptic, yellowish-green to olive green. Stamens 8. Ovary glabrous to densely pubescent or pilose; style simple, 1-2 mm long. Fruit 2.5-3 cm long, 1.8-2.5 cm in diameter, becoming ovoid, rounded at both ends, orange-yellow.
Balanites rotundifolia grows in bushland and open woodland at elevations of 80-150 m.