The discovery of Griffinia Ker Gawl. resulted from the quest for novel New World plants by European horticulturists. The genus Griffinia (Amaryllidaceae) was established by Ker Gawler in 1820 in commemoration of D. Griffin, a botanist/horticulturist from South Lambeth, England. Griffinia hyacinthina (Ker Gawler) Ker Gawler is the type; a species that had first been described in 1816 as Amaryllis hyacinthina Ker Gawler. Griffinia is endemic to Brazil and sparsely distributed throughout the remnants of the Mata Atlântica, or Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and the gallery forests and dendritic passages of northeastern Brazil, once associated with a wider, more ancient forest. Griffinia is most closely related to Worsleya raynerii, another endangered relict from eastern Brazil.

Griffinia is distinguishable from Amaryllis L. (= Hippeastrum Herbert) by having one stamen that assumes a different direction than the other five, an ovary in which each cell contains two (-eight) ovules, and by the petiolate, prominently ribbed foliage. According to Lindley (1826) "the essence of the genus (Griffinia) is found in the position, number and form of the ovules, and in the separation of the sixth or uppermost stamen from the rest, and its association with the uppermost tepal…". These characters are not consistent throughout the genus; ovule number per locule ranges from two to sixteen and the sixth, or uppermost stamen is lacking in some taxa (Morphology).

 In 1841, Herbert founded the genus Hyline based upon a herbarium specimen collected from Ceará by Gardner in 1838. Ravenna (1969) combined the genus Hyline Herbert with Griffinia establishing Griffinia subgenus Griffinia and Griffinia subgenus Hyline. However, little rationale was given for the combination other than limited phenetic data and a reference to Worsley’s (1899) statement "the general aspect of the flower is that of Griffinia." Hyline differs from Griffinia by having ephemeral, fragrant, white, nocturnal flowers that are fewer in number with longer, linear tepal segments, six stamens in three ranks, yellow pollen, and numerous (10 - 16) ovules per locule. Hyline occupies a quasi-xerophytic habitat, unlike Griffinia.

 Griffinia alba Preuss & Meerow (2000), G. arifolia Ravenna (2000), G. leucantha Preuss (2001), and G. cordata Preuss & Meerow (2001) all rare species of subgenus Griffinia and known only from the type localities, have been recently described. Griffinia ilheusiana Rav. represents further collections of G. intermedia Lindley. Griffinia colatinensis, G. mucurina, and G. pau-brasilica are all relegated to variants of G. espiritensis Rav.

The habitats of Griffinia and Worsleya, both endangered Eastern Brazilian endemics, have been greatly modified by man. Continued deforestation of the Mata Atlântica could result in the extinction of these critically endangered plants (Griffinia) in their native habitats. Most species of Griffinia grow in the lush, wet understory of tropical, maritime forests of eastern Brazil. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has undergone tremendous modification. The once contiguous forests of the Mata Atlântica, which extended inland from the coast about 100 kilometers in the north and more than 500 kilometers in the south, encompassed about a million square kilometers and ranged from 8^o to 28^o South latitude. A survey of the entire Atlantic Forest showed that by 1990 only a little more than eight percent, or 83,500 square kilometers, remained. Contiguous chunks of forest are now rare. The blue-flowered Griffinia are primary rain forest elements, and do not re-colonize readily where forest disturbance has been manifold. The white-flowered Hyline are threatened with the continued expansion of agriculture in the semi-arid interior.

A new tribe, Griffineae was established by Ravenna in 1974. Ravenna stated that "this tribe is intermediate between the Amaryllideae [=Hippeastreae] and the Crineae [Amaryllideae], but closer to the later." He also states that "Worsleya seems to be the genus of the Amaryllideae, which connects the tribe to Griffineae." Although not a member of the Amaryllideae, Worsleya is sister to Griffinia and that was the first suggestion of a close relationship. Data from analyses of the ITS regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA indicate, indeed, that Ravenna was correct; evidence from phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS) nucleotide sequences indicates that Griffinia and Worsleya form a clade and merit their own tribe Griffineae. The tribe's phylogentic position in the family remains uncertain, but appears to be the oldest lineage of the Neotropical Amaryllidaceae. Ravenna (2001) has described a new (monotypic) genus, Cearanthes and has ascribed this genus to the tribe Griffinieae. The validity of this new genus is under scrutiny, as the plant is suspected of being another Griffinia.

A combined cladistic analysis of morphological characters and ITS sequences resolved the subgenera of Griffinia each as monophyletic, but only subg. The genus Griffinia has bootstrap support as monophyletic. Within subg. Griffinia, the epiperigynous, large-flowered species form a clade that is sister to the rest of the subgenus. The next branch encompasses the smaller-flowered, epigynous species. The small-flowered, epigynous species are a well-supported clade (the Griffinia liboniana complex, G. liboniana Morren is the oldest named taxon of the clade). This informally recognized group has several species in which inter- and infraspecific relationships are complex and uncertain. The group is characterized by petiolate to subpetiolate leaves, solid green or variously speckled white; petiole and scape lacking reddish pigmentation; epigynous insertion of floral parts; the perigonal tube reduced and not continuous with the pericarp; and the upper episepal stamen typically lacking, or, when present, not adpressed to the dorsal tepal.

Griffinia demonstrates two chromosome numbers: 2n = 20 and 2n = 30. Morel’s (1960) report of 2n = 22 for G. rochae was either in error or included B chromosomes in the complement. In both known species of subgenus Hyline, the chromosome number is 2n = 20. Thus x = 10 is presumed to be the basic chromosome number for the genus. Individuals of both the Griffinia liboniana complex and the G. epiritensis group demonstrate a derived putative triploid state, which could have arisen by fertilization of unreduced, diploid gametes either through apospory or pseudogamous embryo development. Alternatively, these 2n = 30 individuals may be the result of hybridization between a diploid (n = 10) and a naturally occurring tetraploid (n = 20).