Maytenus acuminata, the silky-bark is a small tree of up to 8 m or just remains a shrub (SA Tree List No. 398). It is found in the southern and eastern parts of South Africa, down to the coast. The young stems are often reddish, similar to the young leaves. The leaves are ovate to elliptic, leathery, dark green and sometimes glossy above. Leaves with rounded tips occur, but are the exceptions, as most taper to an acutely angled tip.  The veining is slightly translucent and prominent below. The leaves contain an elastic, rubbery substance that may be observed by breaking a leaf.

Flowers are white to creamy green with recurving petals, growing in axillary clusters. Flowering happens from midsummer, sometimes only for a couple of months, or else lasting until winter.

The fruits are globose capsules with one to three lobes. The ones in picture are green, soon to turn yellow. Upon ripening they will burst open to release seeds completely covered in red or orange arils (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).