It is native to India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

It is also reportedly naturalized in Panama and in southern China.

[3] As a wild plant, it commonly occurs in littoral forest in Southeast Asia.

[4] A name for this palm is sla: préi in Khmer.

In Cambodia, the nut may be chewed with betel in a quid, while the timber is used for temporary constructions, such as huts.