Fici, S. (1993) Cadaba in Flora of Somalia 1: 46-52
Plants shrubs or small trees, uo 5-6 m tall; bark smooth, grayish; young twigs covered with stellate scales. Leaves alternate, petiolate; petioles 4-8 mm long, covered with stellate sales; blades orbicular-obovate, 1.6-3.5 cm lomg, 1.1-2.5 cm wide, covered with stellate scales or glabrescent, bases cuneate, tips obtuse, rounded, or truncate. Inflorescences racemes with stellate-pubescent axes 0.8-2 cm long; bracts linear, 1.6-2.1 mm long; pedicels 0.9-1.6 cm long, densely hairy. Sepals 4, ovate-triangular, 5-7 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, stellate pubescent outside; petals 4, with claws 2-3 mm long and ovate-oblong blades 3-4 mm long; androphores 1.5-2mm long, appendages whitish yellow, 1.1-1.4 cm long, bases tubular, ends oblong; stamens 5 filaments 1.5-1.9 cm long; gynophores 1.8-2 cm long; ovaries spindle-shaped or cylindrical, about 3 mm long, densely glandular pubescent. Fruits cylindrical, torulose, 1.3-3.2 cm long, 0.3-0.5 cn in diameter, densely stellate pubescent, usually on recurved pedicels.
Cadaba heterotricha grows in acacia-Commiphora bushland on a wide variety of soils at 100-1200 m. The Flora of Somalia states that in grows in regions N1-N3, C1-2, and S1-2, ethiopia, Kenya, Arabia, and Pakistan.
In November 2021, the IUCN Red List did not include Cadaba heterotricha. Despite this, local farmers and pastoralists in Somaliland are concerned about its declining abundance.