A shrub or small tree, 1—14 m tall, trunk up to 20 cm in diameter. Leaves elliptical to narrowly elliptical, (1.5—)3—25 cm x (0.4—)1—10 cm, 1.7—4(7) times longer than wide, apex obtuse or sometimes rounded, secondary veins usually pale green on both sides, petiole 3—20 mm long. Inflorescence rather lax or more or less congested, 3—11 cm x 3—16 cm, 1—many-flowered; flowers slightly scented or not, open during the day, sepals pale green, corolla in mature bud 10—31 mm long with a comparatively wide subglobose or mostly broadly ovoid head for 15—40% of the length, apex blunt or rounded, tube 3.7—11 times longer than the calyx, 8—22 mm long, twisted 0.25—0.5 turn or not just below the anthers. Fruit consisting of 2 separate mericarps, obliquely ellipsoid or less often subglobose, with 1 adaxial and 1—2 lateral ridges or wings, orange, red or yellow, 2—40-seeded.

Emmenagogue and parturient (poultice of leaves); antidiarrhoeal (roots).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation
Philippine Medicinal Plants

Added to the bath of women after parturition and to treat eczema and erctile dysfunction (decoction of leaves); fried fresh leaves in oil are applied to itchy skins; taken to relieve affections of the stomach and intestines (decoction of root and bark); applied as an emollient to bruises and wounds, and to swellings (latex); scraped and rubbed onto a sore nose and nose bleeds(root); applied to skin affected by ringworm (Tinea imbricata)(sap from ripe fruit); used as a poultice to reduce swellings and abscesses (plant).