The bright, glossy, green foliage, orange fruits and the drooping habit of the stems make this a very attractive plant which can be utilised as a specimen plant in the middle of a lawn or in a small townhouse garden. The plant can also be trained to form a neat compact hedge. It can effectively be used as a decorative outdoor pot plant. It does not have an aggressive root system and can be used close to paved areas, buildings and other structures without causing any damage. The lemon thorn is often utilised in shrubberies and on the borders of gardens and forests. Its dense growth habit makes it an ideal plant to use as a screen (e.g. to screen wind, provide privacy, screen objectionable views). It can also be used to direct traffic when planted on either side of a pathway or drive. Due to the sharp spines and dense growth habit this plant would make an excellent security barrier or hedge to keep unwanted people or animals out of a particular area.

This species is easily propagated from seed, which gives a 70% to 80% germination success rate. Seed should be sown in a well-drained medium and placed in a light environment. Once the seedlings have reached the one leaf stage they can be pricked out and placed singly into bigger containers. The plant can tolerate drought and frost and can be grown in either sun or shade.

This plant belongs to the family Icacinaceae (white pear family). Icacinaceae is a tropical and subtropical family and it is poorly represented in our region with two native tree genera namely Apodytes (three species) and Cassinopsis (two species namely C. ilicifolia and C. tinifolia). The major difference between the two species of Cassinopsis is that C. ilicifolia possesses spines while C. tinifolia does not.