A medium-sized tree, up to 20(-30) m tall, semi-deciduous, young branches and inflorescence covered with rusty lanate indumentum. Leaves with 10-20 pairs of leaflets, petiole 2-3 cm long, lanate, leaflets subsessile, elliptical-oblong, 3-5 cm x 1-2 cm, subcoriaceous, rounded at both ends. Inflorescence is a lateral raceme, 10-20 cm long, 20-40-flowered; flowers with sepals 5-8 mm long, petals initially red, fading to pink and later orange, the median one red with a yellow patch, stamens 10 with hirsute anthers, 3 long ones with filaments up to 30 mm and anthers 2-3 mm long, 5 short ones with filaments 7-9 mm and anthers 1-1.5 mm long, 2 reduced ones with filaments about 2 mm long. Fruit pendent, compressed, 20-40(-60) cm long, 3-5 cm in diameter, blackish, glabrous, woody, rugose. Seeds 20-40 per pod, surrounded by sweetish pulp.

As a laxative (decoction of leaves and fruit pulp)

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

Aloe-emodin (plant)

Used in the treatment of lumbago (decoction of leaves); used externally in the treatment of ringworm (leaf juice).