Pleiocarpa pycnantha grows as a shrub or tree. Its fragrant flowers feature a white to creamy-yellow corolla. Fruit is yellow-orange to red with paired follicles, each up to 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long. Habitat is evergreen forest from sea-level to 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) altitude. P. pycnantha is found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.