It contains some 113 species, distributed from Sri Lanka and southern India to the Andaman Islands, Myanmar, southern China, and southward throughout Malesia to New Guinea.

The genus was named after John Hope, the first Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.

[4]: 948 Trees in this genus are small or medium, but they can grow occasionally large.

They have low branches and sometimes thick buttress roots.

Their bark is chocolate brown and smooth at first, but later crack and mottle with grey spots.