It was first described in 1782 by Juan Ignacio Molina as Panke tinctoria,[1][3] and was transferred to the genus Gunnera in 1805 by Charles-François Brisseau de Mirbel.

[6] In its native Chile, where it is called nalca or pangue, it is used in a similar way to European rhubarb: after peeling, the stalks are eaten fresh or cooked into jam or cordial.

[11] In Great Britain, the species was popular amongst gardeners for decades, but became rather well-established, and sometimes problematic, in western districts, and appeared to be spreading.

[12] In the west of Ireland, G. tinctoria is a major invasive species,[13] in particular on Achill Island and on the Corraun Peninsula, County Mayo.

While it remained legal to cultivate privately, it was made illegal to allow the species to spread outside the bounds of one's property, or to deliberately sow it elsewhere.

In October 2019, photos of a produce vendor in Puerto Montt dressing himself in nalca leaves began circulating on Chilean social media under the name "Nalcaman".