Melaleuca preissiana was first formally described by Johannes Conrad Schauer in Johann Georg Christian Lehmann's 1844 Plantae Preissianae from a specimen collected by James Drummond.
The botanical classification of Melaleuca preissiana began with its formal description by Johannes Conrad Schauer in Johann Georg Christian Lehmann's 1844 Plantae Preissianae, utilizing a specimen gathered by James Drummond.