 "Eucalyptus xerothermica" was first formally described in 2000 by Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill in the journal "Telopea" from specimens collected near the Fortescue River in 1983.The specific epithet ("xerothermica" is from ancient Greek words meaning "dry" and "hot", referring to the climate where this species grows.This eucalypt is found on floodplains and channel banks in the Pilbara, North West Cape and nearby islands where it grows in low, open savanna.