The first name that was given to what probably is this species, is Aster oppositifolius, in volume 6 of the Amoenitates Academicae by Carl Linnaeus in 1763; but it lacks a description, rendering it invalid. This name was later associated with Felicia amelloides. It was first described by William Aiton in his Hortus Kewensis of 1789 and he named it Aster cymbalariae. Nees von Esenbeck reassigned it in 1833, calling it Munichia cymbalariae. Étienne Pierre Ventenat described Cineraria hirsuta in 1803, and this was reassigned in 1836 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle as Munichia hirsuta, and in 1865 by William Henry Harvey as Aster hirsutus, who also recognised A. cymbalariae with vars. cymbalariae and ionops. In 1822, Henri Cassini described Felicia brachyglossa, which was reassigned by himself in 1825, creating the name Munychia brachyglossa. In 1836, De Candole had distinguished Munichia cymbalariae β microcephala. Harry Bolus and Anthony Hurt Wolley-Dod made the correct combination Felica cymbalariae in 1950. In 1973, Jürke Grau considered these names synonymous, agreed with Harvey's variety, but raised it to subspecies level, and so created Felicia cymbalariae subsp. ionops. The species is considered to be part of the section Neodetris.
