Thottea piscodora is native to Malaysia and is a narrowly endemic species which was found only in the Rasau-Kertih forest fragments in southern Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia (Yao, 2013). This species grows in seasonal freshwater swamps of lowland forest (Yao, 2014). The name 'piscodora' refers to the Latin words 'piscis' meaning fish and 'odor' meaning smell, denoting the rotten fish smell of the flower (Yao, 2013) and the smell is strong enough to attract a swarm of flies from nowhere (Yao, 2014).

Thottea piscodora is a shrub with a woody rootstock that produces several vertical stems growing in a clump. The stems grow up to 2 meters tall and are sometimes branched with leaves that are alternately arranged on the upper end of the stem. The undersurface of the leaves is noticeably glaucous. While the flowers are produced at nodes on the lower part of the stem close to ground level. On some old stems, one can observe a few masses of tissue formed from the repeating flowerings. The flower is about 3 cm long and 1 cm wide. On top of the slender ovary is the 3-lobed perianth. It is urn-shaped at the base and contains 14–15 stamens arranged in two whorls (Yao, 2014).

This species is categorised as Critically Endangered under the assessments of Conservation Status of Plants for Peninsular Malaysia as its known habitat is undergoing rapid land use change where noticeable degradation has been observed (Yao, 2013).