Terminalia catappa is a semi-evergreen , flowering, large, perennial tree with a symmetrical canopy, dense foliage and a definite horizontal branch structure, providing a distinctive tiered or layered effect on the mature coastal tree.
Branches divide repeatedly and regularly into pairs with the two branches in each fork roughly equal. Grows between I0- 18m tall with a 5-10m spread and a 30cm trunk diameter. Adjacent to the coast the tree is often wider than tall.
Noted as reaching 40m tall with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5m in its native habitat, Slow to establish, faster thereafter, depending on conditions, at a rate of 1-1.5m p/a .
