[4][5] Clausena was named for the Norwegian clergyman, Peder Claussøn Friis (1545-1614), the translator of the Icelandic historian and poet, Snorri Sturluson.

The inflorescence varies in form, but is generally a cluster of several flowers with 4 or 5 petals and sepals.

[3] The genus can be distinguished from related plants by the presence of a gynophore, a structure supporting the ovary in the flower.

[8] C. excavata is used medicinally in Asia for a variety of conditions, including snakebite, malaria, dysentery, and HIV infection.

[4] A Clausena leaf fossil from the Oligocene of Ethiopia, represents so far the oldest record of the genus.