Botany
Kupang is a very large tree growing to a height of 25 to 40 meters. Leaves are evenly bipinnate, 30 to 80 centimeters long. Pinnae are 40 to 60, 8 to 20 centimeters long. Leaflets are 60 to 140, linear-oblong, 6-12 millimeters long, close-set, shining above, and pointed at the tip. Heads are dense, obovoid or pyriform, axillary, long-peduncled, up to 6 centimeters long. Flowers are white, about 1 centimeter long. The pods are 25 to 30 centimeters long, about 3.5 centimeters wide, rather thick, pendulous, black and shining when mature, containing 15 to 20 seeds.

Distribution
- Common in forests at low and medium altitudes in La Union to Laguna Provinces in Luzon, and in Palawan.
- Also occurs in India to Timor.

Constituents
- Pulp contains 60% sugar weight (a mixture of dextrose and levulose); 0.98 % free tartaric and citric acids, fats, and albuminoids.
- Study extracted a lectin from the beans of Pj. The purified lectin showed two forms of protein that appeared to be singkle polypeptide chains.

Parts utilized
Seeds.

Uses
Edibility
Pods are edible. Pulp is sweetish with an odor of violets.
In Africa, the roasted seeds make a coffee-like infusion called "soudan coffee."
Folkloric
Seeds are used, in lieu of peppermint, for abdominal colic.
Pods are used for bleeding hemorrhoides.
In India, pods are used for bleeding piles. Bark extract used for diarrhea and dysentery.
Lotion made from bark and leaves applied to sores and skin affections.
Others
Dye: Fruit skin known to give a brown color but not used extensively for dyeing fabrics.

Studies
• Phytochemicals: Study yilelded two new iridoid glucosides, javanicosides A and B along with known compounds, urosolic acid, B-sitosterol from the leaf and bark of Pj.
• Hemagglutinating Activity: Study yielded a lectin from the beans of Pj. The purified lectin could agglunate the RBCs of rabbit and rat but not human, sheep or goose.

Availability
Wild-crafted.