A shrub or tree up to 8 m tall; branchlets glabrous, exuding white latex. Leaves spirally arranged, simple, linear-lanceolate, 6—15 cm x 0.4—0.7 cm, long-acuminate, venation obscure, coriaceous; petiole very short. Inflorescence subterminal, cymose, few-flowered; flowers 5-merous, only faintly fragrant; sepals acute, spreading; corolla lobes overlapping to the left in bud, corolla infundibuliform, tube widening around the middle, about 3 cm long with densely pubescent corona lobes near the throat alternating with the stamens, lobes about 3 cm long, yellow; stamens completely included, anthers attached to each other apically across top of pistil head but not adnate to it, yellow to orange or peachy pink; ovary consisting of 2 carpels, several ovules per carpel. Fruit a drupe with mericarps united into an obdeltoid shape, laterally compressed, about 3—4 cm in diameter, yellowish-green turning red, ripening black, exocarp fleshy, mesocarp stony, endocarps free from each other. Seed flattened with a small wing, one seed per mericarp.

Emetic (decoction of bark or leaves); purgative, violent emetic and abortifacient (seeds); cardiotonic (purified thevetin from seed).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin, beta-sitosterol, betulin, kaempferol, lupeol, quercetin (plant); aucubin, ursolic acid (leaf); linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid (seed); lupeol acetate, neriifolin (bark)

A decoction prepared from the bark or leaves is used to loosen the bowels and is also an effective cure for intermittent fevers. The seeds are used against rheumatism and dropsy. Pulverized seeds are sometimes an ingredient of suppositories to alleviate haemorrhoids. The roots are made into a plaster which is applied to tumours. The oil from the kernel is applied topically to treat skin complaints.