Maytenus is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. Members of the genus are distributed throughout Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Micronesia and Australasia, the Indian Ocean and Africa. They grow in a very wide variety of climates, from tropical to subpolar.

The Koko tree, found in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, The Comoros, Ethiopia, Somalia and as far North as Yemen, is a very variable species and the shape and size is partly dependent on the area in which it is grown. Out in the open it can be a multi-branched shrub of about 3 meters in height whereas in forests, they may be single-stemmed and can reach 9 to 15 meter s in height. Maytenus undata is an evergreen tree with attractive dark grey to grey-brown flaking bark. Plant this tree to attract fruit-eating birds to your garden.