This species is characterized by its elongated branches with shortly petiolate, small, regularly lanceolate leaves, shortly sheathing costate stipules that are persistent and aristate, terminal solitary, subsessile flowers, short dentate calyx limbs, medium-sized white corollas with the tube a little longer than the lobes, and subglobose medium-sized fruits. The leaf blades are rounded to truncate at their bases. The leaves appear to vary markedly in size, from 6.5-1 cm, as on the type, to 1.1-0.3 mm on several collections that have flowers and fruits similar in size to those of the larger-leaved plants. Plants with both larger and smaller leaves have been documented in the same general region (e.g., Fonnegra et al. 4715, MacDougal et al. 4039); whether these belong to more than one species will require field study to resolve. The flowers are subtended by a pair of foliaceous bracts (or reduced leaves) and also 1-2 pairs of stipules that lack leavs and are not separated by developed internodes. The type locality was recorded as "Cucurantha, Antioquia" but this has not been traced and may be Cúcuta in Norte de Santander.

Faramea parvula is similar to Faramea uniflora of Ecuador and Peru. which has shorter branches, elliptic leaves that are acute to cuneate at the base, and larger flowers. Faramea parvula is also similar to Faramea capulifolia of Central America, which has shorter branches, elliptic petiolate leaves, and often longer stipule aristas.