This species was explicitly included by Paudyal et al. (2018)  in Chiococca, not Salzmannia, based on molecular data, and it was said to be confidentaly classified. However, Chiococca nitida apparently has characters of both of these genera., with its sequence data placing it in Chiococca but its ellipsoid fruits often pink to purple-black, which agrees with their Salzmannia. The situation for this species appears to be more complex than noted by them in Chiococca nitida, because this species (as identified in herbarium annotations by both Steyermark and Delprete) has variously white, pink, purple, or purple-black fruits. Among the plants included in this species, the leaves vary widely, as noted by Steyermark (1972), from small to rather large, ovate to elliptic-oblong, and cuneate to truncate or cordulate at base, and also with the venation impresse to plane above, short to lax inflorescences, and a range of flower sizes. 

Chiococca erubescens was described based on three specimens: two of these were from the Guianas and are now included in Chiococca nitida, while the third specimen was from the mountains of northern Venezuela and is now included in Salzmannia naiguatensis. This name has apparently not been lectotypified, but is provisionally synonymized here with Chiococca nitida because the majority of its specimens match that species. 

Steyermark (1972) synonymized several named forms of Chiococca nitida, but he also separate some distinctive plants. ,A number of plants of this species have markedly cordate leaves, and were named as his fo. cordata, and as a separate species: these seem to be distinct at first glance, but this leaf form is linked to the more common form by a serious of intermediates, and most plants with markedly cordate leaves are mostly found in central Guyana but plants the intermidate forms do not have a well-defined geographic range. Field study may shed more light on the identity of these plants. Steyermark also separated var. amazonia, from the central Amazon basin and characterized by relatively larger leaves with impressed veins and broad bases, and this form is also now known from French Guiana, and also seems to be linked by intermediates with the more common form. He also separated var. chimantaensis by its larger corollas, 14.5 mm long, vs. 2.5-12 mm in the other plants; this variety is very poorly known at present, but is provisionally separated here.