From the Kimberley, across the Top End to Cape York this small tree to about 5 metres. As a sapling it looks like a fern and then as it matures it looks like a white gum. Saplings appear at the start of the Wet Season (around December/January).
Saplings were harvested for their tap root which was consumed raw. Older roots were baked on hot coals to soften their fibrous nature.