Scottish botanist Robert Brown formally described the species in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London in 1810 from a specimen collected at Lake St Clair.

[6] Fossils of Orites revolutus indistinguishable from contemporary specimens have been recorded in Early Pleistocene sediments from western Tasmania, suggesting the species is at least this old.

[7] The name Orites revoluta (referring to the tightly revolute leaf margins) was first published by the Linnean Society of London in March 1810 in the paper On the natural order of plants called Proteaceae by Robert Brown.

The paper included dozens of pages of taxonomic revisions for the family Proteaceae, although much of this important work is not officially attributed to Brown.

[9] Orites revolutus is endemic to Tasmania, however it is extensive on mountain plateaus at altitudes ranging from 700 to 1300 m.[4] It occurs in rocky areas of better drained soil within alpine and subalpine heaths and woodlands, and may be present both on dolerite and sedimentary substrates.

Orites revolutus is a preferred host for this tortricid moth borer as compared to O. acicularis, which has a heavily overlapping range, and plants at lower altitudes are more likely to become infested.

[15] O. revolutus’ namesake revolute leaf margins are very likely an adaption to the harsh growing conditions of its range, presumably adding structural integrity to leaves often exposed to frost, sleet and driving wind, as well as very high UV levels.

This is supported by observations that plants growing in shady subalpine pockets—where the need for sunlight may offset the need for a tough exterior—tend to have flatter or broader leaves with recurved rather than revolute margins.

[20][21] Little is known about pathogenic microbial interactions with O. revolutus, however there is clear evidence of dieback in Tasmania's Central Highlands that may be attributed to a Phytophthora species.