[3][4][5][6] Eucalyptus pauciflora was first formally described in 1827 by Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel from an unpublished description by Franz Sieber.

[9][10] The term pauciflora (few-flowered) is a misnomer, and may originate in an early collected specimen losing its buds in transit.

[11] Six subspecies are recognised by the Australian Plant Census as at 30 November 2019: Snow gum grows in woodland along the ranges and tablelands, in flat, cold sites above 700 m (2,300 ft) from the far south-east of Queensland, through New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria, to near Mount Gambier in South Australia and Tasmania.

[18] Snow gum is amongst the hardiest of all eucalyptus species, surviving the severe winter temperatures of the Australian Alps.

[19] At altitudes where stands of snow gum coincide with seasonal snowfall above an altitude of about 1,500 m (4,900 ft), the trees have been shown to increase snowpack accumulation and moderate melt, making snow gum critically important to the hydrology and water resources of southeast Australia.

Contrary to characteristics of needle-leaf forests, snow gums don't frequently intercept large quantities of snowfall on branches and leaves such that increased evaporation or sublimation would occur.