A ornamentally valued tree for its flowers and fruits. The flowers are popularly called as ‘Shivlingi flowers’. A large deciduous tropical tree, indigenous to the Amazon rainforest. This tree is uniquely cauliflorous meaning bearing racemes of flowers on its stem. The flowers are waxy, aromatic sweet scenting, pink to dark red coloured. The fruits of the tree are large round like a cannonball.

The flower of this tree is a STATE FLOWER of Pondicherry.