原產於臺灣恆春半島、蘭嶼、綠島、亞洲熱帶地區。常綠灌木，枝椏橫伸多分枝，小枝纖細，樹姿優美。單葉，互生或近於叢生，具葉柄，長橢圓狀倒卵形，革質，全緣，上下表面平滑。圓錐花序，頂生，花白色；花期3~5月。果為蒴果，球形或橢圓形，熟時由綠轉為橘黃色，2片開裂；種子具有鮮紅色黏性的假種皮，種皮呈暗紅或黑色。果期7~8月。

Native to Taiwan's Hengchun Peninsula, Orchid Island, Green Island, and tropical Asia. The plant is an evergreen shrub with densely stretching branches, slender branchlets and elegant tree shape. Leaves simple, alternate or nearly clumping, petiolate, oblong-obovate, leathery, entire, smooth on the both sides. Terminal panicles, flowers white; flowering from March to May. Fruit is a capsule, spherical or elliptic. When mature, it turns from green to orange and cracked into 2 pieces. The seed has bright red sticky aril, and the coat is dark red or black. Fruiting from July to August.

喜全日照或半日照，土壤以富含有機質之壤土為佳，排水需良好。耐風、耐旱、耐鹽。以種子繁殖為主。

The plant enjoys full sun or half sun, rich organic loam and good drainage.Tolerant to wind, drought and salt. Mainly seed reproduction.

可作庭園景觀樹、綠籬、海岸定沙防風林、種子小森林盆栽等。花小但有濃郁芳香味，可作為生態復育之誘蝶樹種。蘭嶼的達悟族常拿來做薪材。

The plant can be garden landscape trees, hedges, coastal sand-fixing forests, and small seed bonsai. Flowers are small but richly aromatic and can lure butterflies to visit which is helpful to ecological restoration. The Tao people in Orchid Island often use it as fuelwood.