The tree has a wide range in the tropics of the south-west Pacific and south-east Asian regions, and a history of traditional use by the peoples of Polynesia and Melanesia.

There is great diversity in the size, form, shape and colour of the Tahitian chestnut, and of its leaves, flowers and fruit.

Because of its long history of cultivation and its tendency to become naturalised where introduced, it is likely that, over its wide range, the species contains several originally farmer-selected cultivars that have not been recognised or described.

The fleshy mesocarp, or pulp, of the fruit is eaten by cockatoos and flying foxes which act as seed dispersal agents.

[2] The Tahitian chestnut grows in the humid lowland tropics with a moderate to high, uniformly distributed or mainly summer rainfall of 1,500–4,300 mm (59–169 in) annually, at altitudes ranging from 0–500 m (0–1,640 ft).

It is commonly found in secondary forest, along the edges of old gardens, riverbanks, in swamps, coastal areas, coconut plantations and mangroves.

The leaves and bark have found uses in herbal medicine, in Fiji the ivi leaves also are one of the traditional materials for thatching the bure, fallen branches serve as firewood, green wood is burned to dry copra, and the timber is used for crafts such as carvings and tool handles, as well as for building canoes and for general light construction.

[4] The fleshy mesocarp is inedible for humans, but the seed kernels serve as an important indigenous food in many island countries in the Pacific.

[2] The tree has uses in agroforestry in coastal and soil stabilisation, as an overstorey for crops needing shade, such as cocoa, and as a windbreak.