Hymenocardia is a genus of trees in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1836. Most of the species are native to Africa, with one in Southeast Asia.

Hymenocardia acida commonly known as Heart-fruit is a deciduous shrub or tree growing up to 10 metres tall; often looking gnarled and twisted with a characteristic rough rusty-red bark. The bole, which is often stunted or contorted, can be up to 30cm in diameter. The plant is especially valued for its medicinal virtues in Africa, where it is commonly gathered from the wild for this purpose. It also provides food, wood and tannins for local use and is sometimes planted to prevent soil erosion. It is normally found growing in deciduous woodland with Brachystegia or Cryptosepalum, watershed grasslands and dambos on Kalahari Sand; lakeshore sand dunes; in high rainfall miombo; mixed deciduous woodland; riverine fringes and mushitu margins. It ranges from Senegal to Ethiopia, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.