[3][1] The tree has grey bark that peels in long fibres, pinnately compound leaves, and bunches of small white flowers.

Haematonectria haematococca is a fungal pest of the tree, causing damage to the leaves and the heartwood in Javanese plantations.

[4] It is grown as a plantation wood in both India and Java, often in dense, single species groves, to produce its highly desirable long straight bore.

[4] Wood from the tree is used in premium furniture making and cabinetry, guitar bodies and fretboards, exotic veneers, carvings, boats, skis, and for reforestation.

[3][4] Under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 the exportation of lumber products from wild harvested D. latifolia is illegal.