The leaves are glossy dark green above and paler below, arranged in whorls of three or four, and held on petioles around 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) long.

The fruits are poisonous, and plants bleed white sap copiously when wounded.

[7] The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of beads.

[citation needed] It is widely distributed as an ornamental, being valued for its startling bright red fruits and dense clusters of cream flowers that are produced throughout the year on an open spreading leafy canopy.

English: Berrywood tree, Bloodhorn, Elliptic yellowwood, Mangrove ochrosia, Wedge apple.