Usually a shrubby tree to 5-8 m, sometimes taller common in dry rainforest. Leaves are compound, alternate with 4-6 pinnate leaflets. Leaflets dark green with a leathery texture often toothed towards the tip. Flowers small, rusty cream from leaf axils from March to September. Fruit a lobed yellow capsule enclosing a brown-black seed surrounded by a red fleshy aril. Ripe December to February. Fresh seed germinates readily but has a short viability. A tough small, slow growing tree suitable for suburban gardens. It has attractive flushes of limp pinkish new growth which slowly turns pale green as it matures. Extremely hard wood, known to damage axe heads. Host plant for caterpillars of Six Line Blue Nacaduba berenice. Red aril around dark seed is edible though not very tasty. Other Sapinds such as Alectryons spp. feature edible red aril.
