Scolopia mundii grows in evergreen forests along the South African south and east coasts, as well as inland in the north of the country. Often smallish trees, ideal conditions occasionally allow the red pear to reach 20 m (SA Tree List No. 496).

The leaves are ovate and shiny above, with tapering apices and rounded bases. The leaf margins are toothed. The midrib and lateral veins are prominent. The leaves are usually hairless, although in the case of some Eastern Cape specimens not. The flowers are small and greenish, growing in axillary heads during winter.

The fruit is red when ripe, nearly spherical and with a sharp tip. They have earned the tree the common name of red pear; the little pears often borne in great profusion (Coates Palgrave, 2002).