[4] In 2009, molecular phylogenetic studies by Feldberg and colleagues using chloroplast DNA rbcL gene sequences demonstrated that Scaphophyllum was actually nested within the genus Solenostoma.

The species is distinguished by its canoe-shaped, strongly concave leaves and loosely to densely ciliate stem surface – characteristics that had previously led Rudolf M. Schuster to place it in its own subfamily Scaphophylloideae.

Based on both molecular evidence and morphological similarities, the species was formally transferred to Solenostoma in 2009, along with its subspecies S. speciosum subsp.

In Bhutan, it has been found growing on damp mossy logs in shady ravines within wet mixed broad-leaved forest.

[7] The species is considered vulnerable according to IUCN Red List criteria, with an area of occupancy less than 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) across fewer than ten localities.