[2] The specific epithet cuneiformis is from the Latin meaning 'wedge-shaped', referring to the leaf base.

[3] Semecarpus cuneiformis grows as a tree up to 15 metres (50 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of up to 20 cm (8 in).

[3] Semecarpus cuneiformis grows naturally in Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands and Taiwan.

[3] Semecarpus cuneiformis figures in the etiological legend of the community of Krus Na Ligas in Quezon City, Philippines, which is famous for adjoining the campus of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

According to the legend, the earliest settlers of the village noticed that a particular specimen of Semecarpus cuneiformis, known locally as a "Ligas" tree had branches which took the form of a cross.