Symplocos tricoccata is a type of shrub or small tree that can grow around 4-10 m tall. It is known as atup by the Kenyah people in Sarawak. The leaves are spirally arranged, elliptic in shape, measuring 6-31 x 3-13 cm. The colour of the leaves is drying yellowish or olive green. The flowers are white or purple when fresh. The fruits are curved and ellipsoid-ovoid, measuring around 2 x 0.6 cm, with 3 cells in cross-section, defined by grooves.  The corky, fibrous fruit of this species suggests the adaptation for water dispersal (Pearce, 2004).

The genus is derived from two Greek words, sym- meaning together, and plocos meaning connected, that refer to the stamens adnate to the corolla. The species epithet is derived from two Greek words, tri meaning three, and kokkos means the fruit cell, which refers to the three-celled fruit (Pearce, 2004).

This species is distributed in Peninsular Malaysia (Perak only) and Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan). It is very rare in Peninsular Malaysia, where it occurs in forests between 400 and 650 m altitude (Nooteboom, 2010). In Borneo, it is occurring in lowland to montane primary or disturbed forests, at altitudes up to 2,300 m (Pearce, 2004).