[4] Roseodendron chryseum is endemic to the dry forests of northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.

The inflorescence is a panicle, but appears racemose because of the short lateral branches and pedicels.

[9] The specific epithet honors Captain John Donnell Smith (1829–1928), a biologist and officer in the Confederate States Army.

[10] Roseodendron chryseum was named by Sidney Fay Blake in 1918[8] as a species of Tabebuia.

[11] The specific epithet is derived from a Greek word meaning "gold colored".

In 2007, a phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences resolved Roseodendron as one member of a tetratomy that is sister to Sparattosperma, the most basal clade in the Tabebuia alliance.

[16] On 25th of November, 2024, both members of the genus Roseodendron will be put on Appendix II of CITES,[17] which means that international trade will be controlled for sustainability.