 In 1796 English botanist Richard Salisbury published a formal description of the species, from a specimen collected in Port Jackson (Sydney).He gave it the name "Protea anemonifolia", the specific epithet derived from "anemone" and "folium", the latter meaning "leaf", highlighting the resemblance of its leaves to those of anemones.The common name "drumsticks" is derived from their globular cones.