The species was published under the name Dryandra proteoides by John Lindley in his 1840 A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony, where he described it as having "much the look of a Cape Protea".
Dryandra proteoides was first described by John Lindley in his 1840 publication A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony. He noted that the species bore a strong resemblance to the Cape Protea.