[1] It was first described as the species Potentilla veitchii by Ernest Henry Wilson in 1911, after he had earlier introduced it into gardens in the United Kingdom.

[6] Ernest Henry Wilson introduced the plant to horticulture in 1900,[6] formally naming it as Potentilla veitchii in 1911.

Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles treated it as the variety veitchii of Potentilla davurica,[6] as did Brearley in 1987.

[3] To add to the nomenclatural confusion, the species of Potentilla into which it has been placed have been separated into the genus Dasiphora as a result of molecular phylogenetic studies.

[8][9] As of May 2022[update], Plants of the World Online (PoWO) treats Potentilla veitchii as a synonym of Dasiphora fruticosa var.

[1] Wilson described it in 1911 as common in upland thickets at altitudes of about 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in open rocky situations exposed to full sun.