Many tropical forest tree species show habitat preference, commonly revealed by differences in abundance among habitats. We analysed habitat-specific performance and demography of Scaphium borneense, a tropical rainforest tree with strong habitat preference in a 52-ha plot at Lambir Hills, Malaysia. Tree performance as well as population dynamics was rather similar across habitats. Thus, Scaphium populations in the three habitats are maintained in a very similar way, despite differences in (a)biotic conditions and abundance. Strong habitat preference of rainforest tree species does not necessarily imply strong differences in tree performance, demography or population growth across habitats. The mechanisms that generate density differences across habitats remain to be unraveled.