 The species was first formally described in 1788 by Joseph Gaertner in "De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum" from specimens collected by Joseph Banks during an expedition of James Cook to Australia.It was then given the name "Metrosideros armillaris" by Daniel Solander.The species was renamed "Melaleuca armillaris" in 1797 by James Edward Smith in "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London".