Gymnosporia buxifolia flower

The flowers of Gymnosporia buxifolia, the gewone pendoring in Afrikaans, have a pungent smell, especially when a tree is covered in blooms during the peak season. This may occur from spring to autumn, although flowering out of season occurs, depending on the region, temperature and rain.

The flowers are sometimes found on the spines, as may some leaves. Flowers are commonly positioned in upper leaf axils on dwarf spur-branchlets.

This tree is highly variable, previously forming part of the Maytenus heterophylla complex (Coates Palgrave, 2002).