It is a liana (woody climbing plant) growing in lowland wet tropical forests at an elevation of up to 200 metres (660 ft).[2] It is distributed within west and central Malesia,[1] and occurs at one locality in Southern Thailand, on Tarutao Island.[3]
Sphaerocoryne affinis is similar in appearance to S. lefevrei (a species with cultural significance in Cambodia and Thailand, where it is known as rumduol and lamduan, respectively), and some sources treat them as the same species.[3] In Cambodia, the rumdoul has been referred to by the scientific name Mitrella mesnyi,[4] which most authorities regard as an illegitimate synonym of S. affinis, though this species does not occur in the country.[1]
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