[2] The oldest member of this family is Palaeophytocrene chicoensis from the Campanian of California, known from a fossil fruit from the Chico Formation.

[13][14] In 1852, John Miers argued that Bentham's Icacineae did not belong in Olacaceae and he raised them to the taxonomic rank of family as Icacinaceae.

[16][17] Van Tieghem's treatment in some ways anticipated the results of 21st century phylogenetic studies, in particular, by his establishment of the families Emmotaceae and Leptaulaceae.

[22] In 2001, Jesper Kårehed, using a combination of morphological and DNA sequence data, showed that Icacinaceae sensu lato was distantly polyphyletic and was, at least arguably, the worst of the plant families.

Kårehed transferred Citronella, Gonocaryum, and Leptaulus from Icacinaceae to this family, and provisionally placed Metteniusa, Dendrobangia, and Pseudobotrys there as well.

Some authors have continued to maintain Cardiopteridaceae as a monogeneric family, placing Citronella, Gonocaryum, Leptaulus, Dendrobangia, and Pseudobotrys in Leptaulaceae.