De Winter (known as the "poison star-apple" or "Bostolbos") is a Southern African tree belonging to the ebony family of Ebenaceae and closely related to the Persimmon (Diospyros kaki).

The bark is greyish-brown, and smooth to slightly wrinkled, occasionally armed with robust, wooden spikes which are the remains of the bases of former branches.

The creamy-white flowers are bell-shaped and pendulous, occurring between November and March, are pentamerous with petals and sepals strongly reflexed.

Fruits are up to 25 mm in diameter, depressed–globose or pumpkin-shaped, with a dense covering of velvety hairs, and the strongly accrescent calyx persisting.

The clear, jelly-like pulp holds from 3 to 8 shiny brown, slender, 10 mm long seeds, each with a single prominent dark spot.