Cerbera manghas is known as pongpong tree in English or pokok pong pong in Malay. In Sabah and Sarawak, this tree is known as pong-pong and entiba, respectively (Soepadmo et al., 2004). The species epithet maghas is derived from the Portuguese word for mango (‘manga’), which refers to its mango-like fruit (Kiew et al., 2011).

Cerbera manghas is common in Sabah and Sarawak and found throughout Peninsular Malaysia, with the exception of Perlis and Melaka. Cerbera manghas can be found on sandy and rocky sandshores and in sandy coastal heaths where it can grow up to 20 m tall and 60 cm in diameter. However, tourism poses a threat to its habitat (Kiew et al., 2011).

This tree is commonly grown as a street tree in Malaysia and its wood is utilised for household items, packaging and as charcoal. Externally, it can be applied on sores while used internally as a purgative. Traditionally, the fruits are believed to relieve rheumatism (diseases affecting joints or connective tissues) while the latex can counteract sting-ray poison (Soepadmo et al., 2004). The seeds of Cerbera manghas can also be made into fish poison and also yield an oil to make candles. Similar to C. odollam, the leaves and fruits of C. manghas contain the fatal toxic chemical, cerberin (Kiew et al., 2011).