The bark upon the stem of Buxus macowanii, a much-branched shrub or tree, is grey or brown. It may be either smooth or rough and in the specimen in picture has the finely vertical fissuring that is common.

Growing among other trees, this tree has lost its few lower branches early, striving up to see some sun and branching higher up. Adapted to coastal, subtropical forest conditions, B. macowanii functions well among under-storey trees and under-shrubbery.

The young branches grow horizontally, the grey and green branchlets longitudinally grooved (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Schmidt, et al, 2002).