Using parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, it is located at a distance of 88.6 light-years (27.2 parsecs) from the Sun.

In Chinese astronomy, Gamma Crucis was known as 十字架一 (Shí Zì Jià yī, English: the First Star of Cross.).

[15] The people of Aranda and Luritja tribe around Hermannsburg, Central Australia named Iritjinga, "The Eagle-hawk", a quadrangular arrangement comprising Gacrux, Delta Crucis (Imai), Gamma Centauri (Muhilfain) and Delta Centauri (Ma Wei).

[6] With an effective temperature of 3,689 K,[6] the colour of Gacrux is a prominent reddish-orange, well in keeping with its spectral classification.

The atmosphere of this star is enriched with barium, which is usually explained by the transfer of material from a more evolved companion.

[20] The position of the line passing through Gacrux and Acrux marks the local meridian of the sky observed from Rio de Janeiro, at 8:30 am on 15 November 1889, the time when the republic was formally ratified.