A new species of Maytenus is described and illustrated. Maytenus psammopliila is apparently endemic to the state of Bahia, where it grows in the sandy soils of dunes in ‘caatinga’ physiognomy. This species is recognized by its cylindrical or slightly flattened young twigs with lenticels, small ovate coriaceous leaves and inflorescences, reduced cymes with short pedicellate flowers. It resembles M. rigida, which also occurs in the same area but differs from it by its margins with no thorns and by its inflorescences (cymes vs. fascicles in M. rigida). Neotypification of M. boaria is here proposed, this neotypification is important because this species is the type species of the genus Maytenus.