[4][3] It occurs in tropical Asia from Indo-China (Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) to Malesia (Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea); and also in northern Queensland in Australia.

Its leaves are rigid and have blunt tips, its upper surfaces are dark green while pale and silky underneath.

[6][page needed] Its fruiting season is from December to February, it produces edible ovoid fruit that turns dark orangish red when ripe, each are 2.5–5.32 cm long and 2 cm wide with a smooth pale brown seed inside.

[citation needed] Members and servants of Javanese royal families plant them in palace gardens as a symbol of kindness and loyalty.

[5]: 50  For reforestation purposes, M. kauki is a useful graft stock for M. zapota, and parts of the plant are used in herbal medicine.