The first description was given in an 1878 monograph by
George Bentham, published in the
Flora of Australia series. The diversity of the genus
Lepidosperma has been the subject of frequent revision, and a variety of this species is recognised,
Lepidosperma leptostachyum var.
asperatum Kük. The name has been applied to populations later recognised as a new species,
Lepidosperma apricola R.L. Barrett, in 2013. ==Description==