Common names include bulletwood,[5] balatá, ausubo, massaranduba, quinilla, and (ambiguously) "cow-tree".

It is almost identical to gutta-percha (produced from a closely related southeast Asian tree), and is sometimes called gutta-balatá.

Due to the nondurable nature of the material the golf club strikes, balatá-covered balls do not last long before needing to be replaced.

While once favored by professional and low-handicap players, they are now obsolete, replaced by newer Surlyn and urethane technology.

Though its heartwood may present in a shade of purple, Manilkara bidentata should not be confused with another tropical tree widely known as "purpleheart", Peltogyne pubescens.