There are 61 species in the genus, mostly shrubs, but also cushion plants and trees, found in New Zealand, Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia.

[1] The name Dracophyllum, meaning dragon-leaf, refers to their strong outward similarity to the unrelated Dracaena, sometimes known as dragon tree.

Although dicotyledonous, they resemble primitive monocots with their slender leaves concentrated in clumps at the ends of the branches; they are sometimes called grass-trees.

The three genera form a prominent clade in the strict consensus tree based on a molecular analysis by Crayn et al. in 1998.

The first full description of the genus Dracophyllum was published by De Candolle in 1838 and was included in the family Epacrideae.