[6][7] The inflorescence is a panicle produced in the leaf axils or on the twigs below the leaves, and may be up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long.

[5][6][7] This species was first described in 1887 by the German-born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, based on material collected by Richard Parkinson in New Britain.

He notes in his paper "I have dedicated this evidently rare tree to Harry Shillinglaw, Esq., the zealous Editor of this periodical, and the accomplished Secretary of the Victorian Board of Pharmacy".

[8] The tulip sterculia is native to Cape York Peninsula in Australia, New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago), the most western part of the Solomon Islands, and Maluku.

[6][7] The tulip sterculia is harvested for timber in Papua New Guinea, and has been recommended as a street tree in New South Wales.