An evergreen tree that can grow up to 30 m to 35 m in height. Crown is wide spreading. Trunk is usually short and thick. Bark is dark brown and deeply cracked. Heartwood is heavy and reddish in colour. Leaves are simple, dark green, glossy. Flowers occur in clusters, white in colour, fragrant. Fruits are 2-5cm in diameter, ball-shaped, light green in colour, grow in clusters. Native, endangered in the wild. The Girth of this Heritage Tree was measured at 6.8m in Year 2001; 6.9m in 2014.

This genus of trees, Calophyllum, is readily recognized by their beautiful leathery leaves: each leaf has numerous slender veins running parallel from the midrib to margin. In fact the word calophyllum comes from the Greek language which means ' beautiful leaf '. The Penaga Laut is a tree of many uses: the oil from the seeds is used to heal a multitude of skin ailments and the resin, leaves and roots also have various medicinal uses. This Penaga Laut is more than 100 years old and the Botany Centre was designed and built around it in order to preserve it.