 The type specimen was grown in the garden of Jacques Philippe Martin Cels from material collected from Botany Bay in 1792.In 1941 English botanist Brian Burtt changed the name to "Hakea salicifolia" and published the description in "Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information".The specific epithet "(salicifolia)" is derived from the Latin words "salix" meaning "willow" and "folium" meaning "leaf" referring to the willow-like leaves.