 It was first named "Encephalartos macdonnellii" by Ferdinand von Mueller, and published by Miquel in "Over de Cycadeen in Nieuw-Holland.Verslagen en Mededeelingen van de afdeeling Natuurkunde" in 1863.In 1868, Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle reassigned it to the genus,"Macrozamia", thereby giving it the name, "Macrozamia macdonnellii".