A small tree, 4-8 m in height but occasionally reaching 15 m. Bark is grey, yellow or brown, mottled, rather smooth to fissured; no aboveground roots but may have spreading surface roots. Leaves are alternate, simple, crowded at the ends of the branches, large, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, 8-35 x 4-13 cm; apex deep green, broadly tapering; base narrowly tapering, running into the petiole; margin entire or very shallowly toothed or scalloped; petiole very short, without hairs. Flowers are attractive, white to pale pink, in many-flowered pendulous sprays; up to 60 cm in length or even more; bisexual; all floral parts in 4s; sepals joined at the base, separating in 3-4 lobes, green flushed with pink, about 10 x 7.5 mm; petal elliptic, up to 3 x 1 cm, attached to the staminal tube; stamens many, long, white or pinkish, forming a large central mass 3.5 cm in diameter; ovary 2 to 4 chambered; style red. Fruit is conical to ovate, about 3 x 2 cm, crowned by the remains of the persistent calyx; style fleshy at first, later becoming hard, fibrous and yellowish-brown when mature. Seeds are aromatic.

As febrifuge (roots); depurative (leaves); anticancer (seed)

AgroForestryTree Database
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Externally applied for rheumatic pains (decoction of the bark); externally applied to treat chickenpox and for itch (leaves, roots or bark); internally to relieve a cough, sinusitis or bronchitis (decoction of the scraped nut); for measles (infusion of roots); for coughs and asthma, for poulticing sore throat and skin eruptions (fruit); internally for colic and externally for ophthalmia (seeds); the peeled seed mixed with flour and oil for diarrhoea; for cough, asthma, malaria and diarrhoea (fruit); pulverized fruit is used as snuff.