Belongs to the monotypic genus; Subfamily: Detarioideae; Tribe: Detarieae.

Small to medium-sized tree, up to 25 m tall; trunk diameter up to 60 cm. Leaves alternate, pinnate, composed of (5-)7-9 leaflets. Inflorescence in a panicle, often grouped in dense and complex racemes. Samara-shaped pod; single apical seed, large basal wing. Seed oblong-ovate.

Phylogenetically, Brandzeia is related to the genus Neoapaloxylon which is native to Madagascar (Choo & al., 2020). These two genera differ in leaflet and fruit morphology. Its whitish, hard wood is used for building houses and the leaves for roofing (http10).