A small tree, 4—7 m tall and usually with a spreading habit. Leaves alternate, paripinnate, up to 6-jugate; leaflets ovate to obovate, 5—28 cm x 2—10.5 cm, usually horizontal, above glabrous or sometimes slightly hairy on the midrib, beneath variably hairy, domatia common to absent, apex truncate to acuminate, nerves slightly to strongly curving, veins scalariform to|coarsely reticulate. Inflorescences pseudo-terminal to usually terminal; flowers either male (only stamens well developed; trees dioecious) or hermaphrodite (trees monoecious), the latter either effectively female (stamens small, anther not dehiscing) or male (stigma not opening), actinomorphic, whitish, yellowish or greenish; sepals 4—5(—7), nearly free to more than halfway connate, 0.7—2.1 mm long; petals usually absent, sometimes up to 4 reduced ones, not exceeding 1.6 mm; disk complete, hairy or glabrous; stamens (4—)5—8(—9), exserted in males; filament has dense long hairs at least in the basal part; anther dehiscing latero-introrse, lengthwise; pistil 2- or rarely 3-merous, densely hairy, well developed in hermaphrodite flowers; ovary warty; style well-developed; stigma spreading to finally recoiled. Fruit an ellipsoid to subglobular schizocarp, up to 7 cm x 5 cm, weighing 20—95 g, usually consisting of only 1 nutlet, yellow to purplish-red, hardly stalked, often finally dehiscing (at least in the apical part), glabrous, usually densely set with filiform, curved, 0.5—2 cm long appendages; wall coriaceous, up to 2.5 mm thick. Seed covered by a usually thick, juicy, white to yellow, translucent sarcotesta.

Astringent, stomachic and anthelmintic (fruits).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used in decoctions for treating fever (roots); as an astringent for disease of the tongue (bark); used in poultices for headache (leaves).