Maytenus oleosa is a rare, willow-like, small tree in the Celastraceae

Celastraceae

The Celastraceae , is a family of about 90-100 genera and 1,300 species of vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales...

 family which is limited in habitat to lowland forests along the KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

 and Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...

 coasts, particularly where there are streams or rivers. It is commonly associated with Gymnosporia bachmannii

Gymnosporia bachmannii

Gymnosporia bachmannii is a species of plant in the Celastraceae family. It is endemic to South Africa. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Hilton-Taylor, C. et al. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....

. The species is threatened by habitat loss and agricultural activities.

Efforts to conserve the tree are in place; it is a protected species in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve

Umtamvuna Nature Reserve

The Umtamvuna Nature Reserve is situated in South Africa on the KwaZulu-Natal side of the Umtamvuna River, and is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife...

 and Mkambati Game Reserve, and several forest areas have been demarcated in the Transkei

Transkei

The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...

.