[1] It is native to eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanga Region of Tanzania, and locally in Uganda, where it occurs at 1600–2600 m elevation in high rainfall Afromontane cloud forest.

Common names include East African camphorwood, mkulo (Tanzania), mwiha (Uganda), muwong, muthaiti, and maasi.

It is a large evergreen tree growing to 35 m (exceptionally 45 m) tall, with fast growth (up to 2 m per year) when young.

The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish-yellow; the fruit is a small drupe 1 cm long.

It is an important timber tree, valued for the resistance of its wood to fungal decay.