The genus name Dierama is derived from a Greek word that means ‘funnel’ referring to the shape of the flower. The species name dubium means ‘dubious’, ‘doubtful’ or ‘uncertain’, because the botanist N.E. Brown who named it was at first not sure if it was a distinct species or just a different colour form of D. argyreum.

This species does not have a known common name but, Dierama species are commonly known as hairbell, angel’s fishing rod, fairy bell and wandflower, or  grasklokkie, an Afrikaans word that means ‘grass-bell’ which describes the grass-like nature of the leaves and stems and the bell-shaped flowers. We propose ‘hidden hairbell’ for the common name, because the flowers are somewhathidden by the bracts and its rare and sparse nature keep it hidden from us and we have been unable to find a photo of it.

Dierama dubium is a species endemic to South Africa from Iridaceae, a geophytic family with only four subfamilies recognized in South Africa. It consists of approximately 82 genera and 1 800 species in the world and about 45 species of Dierama . This family occurs in tropical and temperate regions of the world, and in southern Africa they are mostly found distributed in winter-rainfall areas. Species from this family play a vital role in cut flower production, many are used in garden designs, and some members used for food production.