Backeberg C. 1956,
Descript. Cact. nov.:33

A basi ramosa, magis frequenter a latere; articulis griseo-viridescentibus; verticis coma tomento saepe laxo, subfusco; areolis suborbiculatis magnis, ad 9 mm ø, tomento subfusco; aculais radialibus (ca. 6) atque centralibus (0-1) porrectis, aequalibus, subulatis, minus crassis quam in typo generis, flavescentibus, in parte superiore primum pullioribus, as 3 cm longis (vel magis); costis primum aliquid repandis, deinde applanatis, non vel vix incrassatis circum areolas. - Chile (Prov. Antofagasta, in ora, in situ septentrionali 20 km ab Taltal).

Backeberg C. 1959,
Die Cactaceae 3:1903

Ritter F. 1980,
Kakteen in Südamerika (3):1101

as Copiapoa gigantea var. haseltoniana. Ritter notes that Backeberg's description (1956) is a nomen nudum, as  earlier (1951, Descript. Cact. nov.:119) he had regarded it merely as a variety of C. cinerea.

Taylor N. P. 1981,
A commentary on Copiapoa, The Cactus and Succulent Journal of Great Britain, 43(2/3): 49-60

Taylor corrects Ritter's observation by formally recording the new combination C. cinerea var. haseltoniana.
He includes C. gigantea and C. eremophila as synonyms.

Butcher provides an English description and a photograph of a plant in cultivation. He notes that Backeberg believed it could be a natural hybrid with Copiapoa cinerea. 'The Chileans' indicates possibly two forms, one with long translucent spines which has whitish wool, another with deeper coloured, shorter spines, more ribs and has orange wool.

Adriana Hoffmann follows Taylor with C. cinerea var. haseltoniana.

Ritter 208: Copiapoa gigantea Backeberg var. haseltoniana (Backeberg) F. Ritter - Kakt. Südamer. 3:1101-1102, 1980.

loc. 1:   Chile: Taltal. 21./6./1954.
ZSS 810063 - sem (Leg. F. Ritter 1955 (sub Copiapoa haseltoniana). Specimen not dated.)
ZSS T4720 - corp. ar, sp (Leg. F. Ritter ex nat. (juvenile plant).)
ZSS T4721 - corp. ar, sp (Leg. F. Ritter ex nat. (juvenile plant).)

loc. 2:   Chile: Cumbras above Paposo.
ZSS T4722 - corp. ar, sp (Leg. F. Ritter ex nat.) 

loc. 3:   Chile: "Taltal, ca. 15 km nordost Inland“ = Taltal, c. 15 km NE, inlands.
SGO 124842 (in 2 parts) - rad. corp. ar, sp

loc. 4:   Chile: sine loco.
BGH22827 - ic (corp) (Ex cult. BG Berlin, 19. 10. 1987 (cult. ex sem. Cat. H. Winter 1957). Collection number inferred.)
BGH24756 - ic (corp) (Ex cult. BG Berlin, 5. 5. 1989 (cult, ex sem. Cat. H. Winter 1961). Collection number inferred.)

The authors recognise C. haseltoniana as a member of the Cinerea complex

Distribution: Taltal to Caleta Colorado

as a synonym under the older name C. gigantea (1936) as C. cinerea var. gigantea.

as a species (incl. C. gigantea) of the Cinerea group.