Chionanthus rugosus grows as a tree up to 20m (70feet) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 10cm (00inches). The bark is greyish. The fruit is green, ovoid, up to 0.7cm (00.3inches) long. The specific epithet rugosus is from the Latin meaning 'rough', referring to the fruit. Its habitat is lowland mixed dipterocarp forest. C. rugosus is endemic to Borneo.