It is a common canopy tree in lowland forests north of Auckland, often growing in association with kauri (Agathis australis), pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), tawapou (Pouteria costata), and pūriri (Vitex lucens) on basalt rocks and soils.
The Mamaru canoe, whose descendants live around Doubtless Bay and near Kaitaia, carried in its crew an important ancestor named Pou.
Pouteria | Utricularia costata | Pouteria costata | Pouteria caimito | Diagram of ''Trigonia costata'' James Parkinson |