Gymnosporia is an Old World genus of plants that comprise subshrubs, shrubs and trees. It was formerly considered congeneric with Maytenus, but more recent investigations separated it based on the presence of achyblasts (truncated branchlets) and spines, alternate leaves or fascicles of leaves, an inflorescence that forms a dichasium, mostly unisexual flowers, and fruit forming a dehiscent capsule, with an aril on the seed. The genus occurs in all of Africa, Madagascar and adjacent islands, southern Spain, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Malesia, and in Queensland, Australia. In the Afrotropical region the two main centers of diversity are in the south and the northeast.

Gymnosporia tenuispina is a South African indigenous species from the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West Provinces. It is synonymously known as Celastrus tenuispinus, Gymnosporia botsabelensis and Maytenus tenuispina. It grows into a small shrub of up to 1.5 meters. It has red stems when young and spines of up to 2 cm. It has serrated leaves. During summer it bears yellow flowers which are followed by attractive yellow to red seed capsules which split to reveal seeds.