An erect or subscandent much-branched shrub, up to 5 m tall, stems square or 3-angled, often bearing hooked prickles, highly aromatic. Leaves opposite or rarely in whorls of 3, ovate to oblong-ovate, 5-8 cm x 3-5.5 cm, petiole 1.5-3 cm long. Inflorescence flat or hemispherical subcapitate; flowers with corolla tube extending to 12 mm long during anthesis, often slightly curved, orange-yellow or orange to pink, white, or variegated, changing to red or scarlet. Fruit a globose glossy drupe, deep blue when ripe.

As a febrifuge, diaphoretic and stimulant (decoction of the leaves and flowers)

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Alpha-amyrin (plant); alpha-pinene, cadinene, cadinol, caryophyllene, citral, dipentene, eugenol, farnesol, furfural, gamma-terpinene, geraniol, icterogenin, p-cymene, tannin, terpineol (leaf); beta-sitosterol (seed and shoot); lignin (stem).

The leaves and sometimes the wet, ground roots are applied to cuts, ulcers, swellings and to treat rheumatism. A decoction of the leaves and flowers is used to treat constipation, catarrh and bronchitis. A decoction of the roots is used to treat toothache, headache, inflammation, gonorrhoea and leucorrhoea.