Tetracentron hopkinsii was initially described from two leaves, both recovered from the Early Eocene, Ypresian[1] Allenby Formations One Mile Creek outcrop 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Princeton, British Columbia.

[1] The plants and animals are preserved in a finely layered light greenish-gray lacustrine shale as compression-impression fossils.

Pigg et al noted in 2007 that one leaf assignable to Tetracentron had been found in the Klondike Mountain Formation of Republic, Washington, but was not complete enough to confidently attribute it to T. hopkinsii.

The recovery of additional leaves deposited in the Stonerose Interpretive Center allowed Manchester et al to assign the Republic flora specimens to T. hopkinsii in 2018, expanding the confirmed distribution of the species.

Both specimens were part of the in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture paleobotanical collections at the time of description.

Broadly circumscribed, three other species have been identified in the Republic flora, Paraconcavistylon wehrii, Pentacentron sternhartae, and Trochodendron nastae.

Additionally the species Trochodendron drachukii is known from related Kamloops group shales at the McAbee Fossil Beds near Cache Creek, British Columbia.