Uvaria is a native climbing shrub commonly found in the countryside. In early summer, it produces striking flowers with dark red petals and egg-yolk yellow stamens. Its leaves are also food for butterfly caterpillars of several Graphium species. When ripen, its fruits turn into dark purple and are juicy with a sweet-sour taste, serving as both edible wild fruits for humans and food for various mammals.

Beyond its ecological value, the tough and slender fibrous bark of Uvaria can be used to weave ropes and hemp sacks. Its roots and leaves are also used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat rheumatic bone pain and injuries from falls and bruises.