It is a bushy, evergreen shrub or small tree growing 2.5–5 m (8–16 ft) tall and 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) wide. The plant has a branched taproot. Its stem is aerial, erect, green, cylindrical, and branched. Its leaves are simple and petiolate, with alternate phyllotaxy. The leaf shape is ovate, the tip is acute, and the margin is serrated. Its flowers bloom in summer and autumn. 
The tree is native to the tropics and subtropics, but its native range is Vanuatu.