Cerbera manghas (Sea Mango) is a small evergreen coastal tree growing up 12 m tall. The shiny dark-green leaves are alternate, ovoid in shape. The flowers are fragrant, possessing a white tubular 5 lobed corolla about 3 to 5 cm in diameter, with a pink to red throat. They have 5 stamens and the ovary is positioned above the other flower parts. The fruits are egg-shaped, 5 to 10 cm long, and turn bright red at maturity.
Two new compounds, 1,3-bis(m-carboxylphenyl)-propan-2-one (1) and 2-(m-carboxylphenyl)-3-(m-carboxylbenzyl) succinic acid (2), were isolated from the barks of Cerbera manghas.
Cerbera manghas is naturally distributed from the Seychelle Islands in the Indian Ocean eastward to French Polynesia. It occupies coastal habitats and is often associated with mangrove forests.This tree has been introduced to Hawaii and other tropical locations as an ornamental.