It is a slow-growing evergreen, a valuable hardwood tree of broad ecological importance, and it is threatened by habitat loss and by overexploitation for its timber and essential oils.

The tree is endemic to southeastern Brazil in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion.

It grows on deep, rich, well-drained soils on slopes between 30–900 metres (98–2,953 ft) in elevation.

[3] The tree is badly overexploited for its valuable hardwood, its essential oils with their (linalool) content, and for various pharmaceutical compounds or prospects such as neolignans.

[4] From the early- to mid-20th century the wood was popular for the flooring of houses in the Brazilian coastal State of Santa Catarina.