A small tree, 5—15(—20) m tall; trunk and old branches usually crooked, furrowed, branched near the base; young stem and branches with strong, woody, simple or branched spines, up to 10 cm long, usually absent in clonally propagated trees. Leaves ovate-oblong or elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, (6.5—)10—15(—18) cm x (3—)4—7(—9) cm, glabrous or puberulous on midrib and nerves, often shiny dark green above, brownish-red and drooping when young, margins coarsely toothed; petiole 5—8 mm long. Inflorescences in few-flowered, short, axillary, finely pubescent racemes; pedicels 3—4 mm long; flowers greenish-yellow, usually unisexual; sepals 4, rarely 3—6, petals absent; male flowers with 8 orange or yellow-white fleshy disk-lobes and numerous stamens; female flowers usually without stamens, styles 4—6(—8), free, stigmas indistinctly bilobed. Fruit a globose, depressed-globose to obovate berry, 2—2.5 cm in diameter, light-green to pink or purplish-green to dark red with whitish, juicy, acid pulp, crowned by the 4—6(—8) small peg-like styles set in a circle. Seeds 4—7, flat.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used to prepare traditional medicine against diarrhea and dysentery (immature fruit); applied to inflamed eye-lids (leaf juice); taken by women after childbirth (root decoction).