One origin of the genus name Hypericum is that it is derived from the Greek words hyper (above) and eikon (picture), in reference to the tradition of hanging the plant over religious icons in the home.

[3][4] Hypericum matudae is distinguished from its sister species H. calcicola by having less dense branches, longer internodes, papery instead of leathery leaf texture, and larger petals and seed capsules.

[5] In 1976, Paul Standley and Julian Steyermark established a new genus named Thornea, to which they moved this species and H. calcicola.

[6][7] This placement was subsequently questioned, and phylogenetic studies suggested that Thornea was not an independent genus and its species should be returned to Hypericum.

[10] It has been collected from an area with a highly diverse tree canopy and understory, on a substrate of shale and sandstone, at altitudes of 2000–4000 meters.