The genus name Pteronia is derived from the Greek word pteron, which means ‘a wing’. The specific epithet aspera, means ‘rough’ and is probably in reference to the slightly rough-textured hairy stems and branches.

The genus Pteronia (L.) L. (Asteraceae) consists of approximately 80 species that are primarily found in southern Africa. Most of the species are found in the Karoo-Namib region, with 12 species occurring in the Fynbos Biome of South Africa. According to Kolberg & Van Slageren (2014), there are 24 species present in Namibia. Leistner (2000) states there are also species found in other southern African countries like Lesotho, Swaziland, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Members of this genus are often the dominant taxa in the plant communities in which they are found. They are mainly perennial and woody shrubs varying from 0.3 to 2 m in height. The morphology of the genus is diverse and species vary significantly according to habit, flowers and leaf shape.

Pteronia was subdivided into 4 sections, sect. Incanae, sect. Papillatae, sect. Ciliatae and sect. Glabratae, based solely on the indumentum of the leaves, by Hutchinson & Phillips in 1917. This infrageneric classification is generally accepted to be largely artificial, with closely related species or infraspecific taxa placed in different sections. This taxonomic treatment also resulted in members of the P. camphorata group being placed in 2 different sections: Pteronia camphorata var. armata Harv., P. camphorata var. longifolia Harv. and P. stricta in section Ciliatae, whereas P. camphorata var. laevigata Harv. was placed in section Glabratae.

In the 2017 taxonomic treatment of the Pteronia camphorata-group, by Bello, Boatwright, Tilney, Van der Bank & Magee, the name P. aspera Thunb. was reinstated to accommodate the species previously treated as P. camphorata and 2 of the 3 varieties: var. armata and var. longifolia remain within P. aspera but are no longer recognized as varieties, and the third, var. laevigata was found to be a new species, P. cedarbergensis. The name P. camphorata was then applied to the species previously known as P. stricta. Although confusing because the species that was previously known as P. camphorata is now P. aspera and the species previously known as P. stricta is now P. camphorata, this renaming was necessary as the type specimen for P. camphorata was found to be a specimen of P. stricta. As neither of the two species are particularly well known the authors elected not to conserve the name with a new type as this was unlikely to be successful. Pteronia stricta is a closely related species that occurs in the Klein Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains to Humansdorp.

These 2 species, P. aspera and P. camphorata, are very similar and easily confused, but can be distinguished as follows: P. camphorata (=P. stricta) has involucral bracts with entire margins and isodiametric fruit with prominent white or creamish marginal ribs, whereas P. aspera has involucral bracts with serrate margins and flattened fruit with only slightly prominent marginal ribs.