[6][7] The species was first formally described by Frederick Manson Bailey, and published in 1901 in his book "The Queensland Flora".

His description was based on plant material collected by himself in 1889 from Palm Camp on Mount Bellenden Ker.

[9] The genus name Catalepidia was coined by Weston from the Greek words katá (low) and lepís (a scale), which refers to the cataphylls at the base of the shoots.

[8] This species has been assessed as least concern by both the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

[1][2] The IUCN states the reason for their least concern assessment is "the overall population is generally stable, and it is not suspected to be threatened by any major threat".