It is native to southern China (Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan), southeastern Tibet, and Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in northern Indochina.

[4] A 2013 revision of the genus Cephalotaxus affirmed its status as a distinct species, and identified C. harringtonia var.

[3] The IUCN Red List assessed the species as Endangered, based on distribution only in Hainan.

[1] The species is now considered to have a wider distribution in mainland China and northern Indochina.

[2][3] C. hainanensis is suggested to have antileukemia activity, and is widely used as an herbal remedy in China.