[6] Ferdinand von Mueller initially described the species in 1869 as Drimyspermum clerodendron in his work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (vol.7), from material collected by John Dallachy at Rockingham Bay.

[8] In 1873 George Bentham published another description in Flora Australiensis (vol.6), in which it was given the current binomial combination.

[10] P. clerodendron is endemic to north-eastern Queensland, with recorded occurrences from near Cooktown in the north to Cardwell in the south.

It grows in well developed rainforest at altitudes ranging from sea level up to about 900 m (3,000 ft), thus it is found in almost all parts of, and entirely contained within, the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, with the exception of the highest peaks and the most southern section.

The species is regarded as an attractive garden ornamental due to its dark green foliage, the spectacular and pleasantly-scented flower clusters, and the colourful fruit.