It was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1860 as Anisoptera melanoxylon and transferred to Cotylelobium by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre in 1889. It is the provincial tree of Surat Thani Province, Thailand.
The species was initially named Anisoptera melanoxylon by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1860 and subsequently moved to the genus Cotylelobium by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre in 1889.  It holds a special status as the provincial tree of Surat Thani Province, Thailand.