The genus was originally described by
Carl Ludwig Blume in 1828. It was frequently treated by later authors as a synonym of
Cyathea or
Alsophila. In the
Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I),
Gymnosphaera was left as a synonym of
Alsophila, as evidence to support its reliable separation was lacking. More recently, Shi-Yong Dong and collaborators proposed the revival and recircumscription of the genus based on additional phylogenetic evidence, an act subsequently accepted by other tree fern workers. ==Phylogeny==