the species was first described in 1861 by william hooker, as "cosmos diversifolia" var. "atrosanguineus". eduard ortgies later elevated it to a full species, placing it in the genus "bidens". andreas voss transferred it back to "cosmos", retaining its status as an independent species. it is one of eight species of "cosmos" placed in section "discopoda". "cosmos" belongs to subtribe coreopsidinae.