Gymnosporia buxifolia is a species of plant in the bittersweet family (Celastraceae) native to southern Africa.

It has light brown bark that darkens with age, eventually becoming flakey, rough, corky and fissured.

[5] up to six inches (15 centimeters) in length;[6] the longest unbranched thorns of any Dicot, a record shared with Vachellia karroo.

The leaves are variable in shape, but typically narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 25mm to 45mm long and 10mm to 25mm wide with a toothed margin, usually on the upper half of the leaf, sometimes emarginate.

The fruit is a more or less spherical, 3 lobed capsule, about 10mm diameter, green-yellow becoming grey-brown and wrinkled when dry.