Banksia splendida subsp.

speciosa until 2007, when Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele sunk all Dryandra into Banksia.

Since the name Banksia speciosa had already been used, Mast and Thiele had to choose a new specific epithet for D. speciosa and hence for this subspecies of it.

Dryandra, it is endemic to the South West Botanical Province of Western Australia.

As an autonym, it is defined as encompassing the type material of the species.