The genus Freesia has 16 species and is part of the Iris family (Iridaceae) which has about 2 000 species from ± 65 genera. Freesia is named after the German doctor, Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese, who was also a botanist. The species epithet refracta is a Latin word meaning ‘bent’, which refers to the bent flower stalk of the species. The name Freesia refracta effectively translates to ‘Freese’s bent plant’. The genus Freesia was first mentioned in literature in 1827 by Christian Friedrich Ecklon, as Freesea Eckl., in honour of his college friend Dr Friedrich Freese. However, Ecklon did not provide a morphological description and the name is therefore illegitimate according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN). Klatt validly published the name as Freesia in 1866.

Freesia refracta has a complex taxonomic history. Klatt, in 1866, recognised four species and two varieties namely, F. odorata, F. leichtlinii, F. xanthospila, F. refracta var. refracta, and F. refracta var. alba, of which the latter was later changed to F. alba. In 1935, Brown explained that plants of several taxa in the genus looked very similar especially when dried, which led to confusion and mistakes in identifying them.

Furthermore, Klatt mistakenly referenced various distinct species such as F. muirii Eckl., a synonym of F. corymbosa, as F. refracta. Bolus in 1933 erroneously described F. refracta as a new species, referring to it as F. hurlingii because she mistakenly applied the name F. refracta to a taxon whose correct name is F. leichtlinii subsp. alba.

Brown, in 1935, provided clarifications by creating an identification key with six diagnostic characters to help distinguish between species. However, even with Brown’s publication the confusion still persists, especially in horticulture. Nonetheless, F. refracta native to the Western Cape of South Africa, remains a species that carries a historical significance in the development of cultivated freesias.