As the name Banksia ferruginea had already been published in reference to the plant now known as Pimelea ferruginea, Mast and Thiele had to choose a new specific epithet; their choice, "rufa", is from the Latin rufus ("reddish"), in references to the red-brown colour of new growth and the involucral bracts.
Pimelea | Menziesia ferruginea | Substantia ferruginea | Rusina ferruginea | Pimelea spicata | Pimelea ferruginea | Hopea ferruginea |