They first appeared in the Triassic, and were a diverse and common group of conifers during most of the Mesozoic era, primarily at low latitudes,[1] where they often formed a dominant element of the vegetation.

[2] They are united by the possession of a distinctive pollen type assigned to the form genus Classopollis (the distinctive characters of which include "distal cryptopore, proximal scar often with filaments, striate equatorial girdle, subequatorial rimula, tegillum (outer tectum of a lesser electron density), and columella-like infratectal elements"[2]) The name Frenelopsidaceae (as a separate family) or "frenelopsids" has been used for a group of Cheirolepidiaceae with jointed stems, thick internode cuticles, sheathing leaf bases and reduced free leaf tips.

Several members of the family appear to have been adapted for semi-arid and coastal settings, with a high tolerance of saline conditions.

[1]The habit of cheirolepidaceous confers is likely to have varied widely, from large trees (some with trunks over 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick at their base) to shrubs.

A close relationship with Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae has been proposed, based on the similarities of their reproductive structures,[7] though other studies have suggested that they may fall outside the crown group of modern conifers among various voltzialean lineages.