This species is characterized by its bilobed stipules with lobes that become filamentous at the apex; elliptic thin-textured leaves with evident finely reticulated tertiary venation that are acute at the apex; pedunculate, short-corymbiform, few-flowered inflorescences; rather short calyx limbs; rather small white corollas; and subglobose to didymous, red, shortly pedicellate fruits. This species is apparently deciduous and found in dry forest and gallery forest, and has been documented on various substrates including limestone. Bremekamp recognized two varieties of Apomuria perrieri, the typical variety with pilosulous pubescence on the vegetative structures, and var. glabrirama with pubescence restricted to the undersurfaces of the leave; he cited only one specimen of the pubescent typical variety, but documented the glabrous variety with a number of specimens and a wide range in western and southern Madagascar. With more specimens now available, more variation can be seen in the distribution of pubescence (e.g., Bosser 20291) and these varieties may not be separable; among more recent collections, the glabrous plants are more common. Razafimandimbison et al. (2014) transferred Apomuria perrieri to Psychotria but did not provide nomenclatural combinations for its varieties.
Bremekamp separated several of the species he included in Apomuria based on leaf chaaracters, and most of these are not well known and need reevaluation when more material is available. In particular >i.Psychotria charlotteana is similar to Psychotria desirei's pubescent variety and Psychotria puffii's glabrous variety. Some of the specimens included in Psychotria charlotteana seem to have fruits with thickened somewhat elongated pedicels, similarly to species of Chassalia and Psychotria rubropedicellata; more than one species may be included here, and better documentation of Psychotria charlotteana is needed.