The tree is often common in the understorey of primary and secondary forests in shrublands, on cliffs, river-edges and even in and alongside plantations of rubber and cocoa.

[7] At Aipiri, Manokwari, West Papua, the tree did not grow on the coast, but dominated the forest 600m inland, along with Horsfieldia irya and Myristica fatua.

[5] The tallest, most impressive forests on Waigeo of the Raja Ampat Islands, eastern Indonesia, contain the species as a co-dominant, along with Hopea novoguineensis, Homalium foetidum, Mallotus floribundus, Pimelodendron amboinicum, and Vatica rassak, with Elatostema and Piper quite common in the understorey.

[3][2] Countries and regions that it is found in are: Papua New Guinea (Bismarck Archipelago, mainland); Indonesia (Maluku, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Kalimantan; Jawa, not present in Sumatera); Philippines (except Luzon); and Malaysia (Sabah where it is particularly common, Sarawak, and Perak).

[1] The plant, with a wide and common distribution, has many names:[3] Papua New Guinea: ali’es, baulai, kalikal, konos, kulis, o, oluai, on’as, sanam, uk, unase, yehaye (Amele); gale, galud, keka, kisos, menag, ninegsi, niniki (Biliau); asoadzim (Bogia); bisip, dzumpiam, kala, malamamoi, mempong, pasip, sarenki, singas, tumpahop, wasirip (Dumpu); bulim, dabe, gwandere, mai, orare, sariri, tukai, unai, wime (Faita); sarr (Jal)[what language is this?

]; Halmahera: obadinga mabedeka (Tabaru/Tobaro); Philippines: oyagingon (Manobo); apanang (Waray/Waray-waray); Sabah: kubur (Bonggi/Dusun Banggi); ansalapan, mengkig, toto (Eastern Kadazan/Dusun Kinabatangan); kilas (Lun Bawang/Murud); sengulpid (Sungai/Sungei); lengkan (K.)[what language is this?

The Braunschweig born botanist Carl Ludwig Blume (1796-1862), described this species in 1826 in his publication Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indie.