Horsfieldia kingii is a dioecious tree of the family Myristicaceae. It grows up to 20 m tallChaudhuri, AB (1993) Forest Plants of Eastern India APH Publishing p. 434 It is native to mainland Asia, ranging from eastern Nepal through northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand to southern China.
It has large seeds that are dispersed by frugivores such as hornbills and imperial pigeons.Aparajita Datta & Rawat, GS (2008) Dispersal modes and spatial patterns of tree species in a tropical forest in Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science Vol. 1(3):163-185 PDF The fruiting period is from February to May.Nandini Velho (2008) The effect of terrestrial rodents on seed fate of hornbill-dispersed plants in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Unpublished MSc Thesis Manipal University. pp. 81 PDF The fruit is an arillate capsule and is bi-coloured.
The plant is referred to as ramtamul in Assamese language and is sometimes used as a substitute for betelnut. However, they could be mildly intoxicating to humans. The leaves form a part of the diet of the endangered capped langur.Kumar, A & Solanki, GS (2008) Population Status and Conservation of Capped Langurs (Trachypithecus pileatus) in and around Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Primate Conservation (23): 97–105 PDF
The species was first described as Myristica kingii by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1886. In 1897 Otto Warburg placed the species in genus Horsfieldia as H. kingii.
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