Discovery and description of new Stylidium species has been occurring since the late 18th century, the first of which was discovered in Botany Bay in 1770 and described by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. In the early 19th century, the French botanist Charles François Antoine Morren described triggerplant anatomy, also providing illustrations with the descriptions. As of 2002, only 221 Stylidium species were known. There are now over 300 species, many of which are awaiting formal description.