With its white-grey bark and shaggy appearance, this tree stands out in a forest. Buttresses at the base of the trunk and plank or ribbon type roots.
Flowers are small and green.
The fruits are about 7 cm long and have a prominent ridge, or keel, on one side. When the seed is floating this keel acts as a sail, probably aiding dispersal. This species is found at the landward edge of mangrove forests along rivers of the wet tropics where there is substantial freshwater influence.