Argyrella canescens was previously placed in the genus Dissotis, that genus name referring to the stamens which are of two different types, derived from the Greek dissos meaning ‘two-fold’. The meaning for the genus name Argyrella is not given; the Greek meaning of argyros is silver and the suffix ella indicates the diminutive, thus ‘little silver’, possibly referring to the small white hairs that typically cover these plants. The species name canescens refers to the greyish-white hairs on the plant.

The genus Argyrella was first described in 1850, but all the species in it were placed within the genus Dissotis in 1871. Argyrella was recognised as a section of Dissotis in 1872 and as a subgenus of Dissotis in 1970. Argyrella was reinstated as a genus in 2017 and its description updated, following phylogenetic studies on the African Melastomataceae that found that these species formed a well-supported clade, also supported by their morphology. The genus Argyrella consists of 7 accepted species that occur in tropical and southern Africa with only one species in South Africa. Species are characterised as white-pubescent subshrubs, with stems, leaves and hypanthium densely covered with stellate and/or glandular hairs appearing dusty, and the sepals are persistent.