[2] George King, the British botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its fruit which he thought resembled those of the genus Uvaria more than those of Goniothalamus.

Its leaves have 22-35 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs that arch to meet one another at the leaf margins.

The very leathery, yellow, broad, lance-shaped outer petals are 3.8 centimeters long with thickened bases.

Its flower have stamen with connective tissue between the lobes of the anthers that extend upward to form a conical apex.

Its flowers have carpels with hairy ovaries, cylindrical styles and small stigma with a cleft.