This species has a rather robust habit, generaly elliptic leaves, short cymose inflorescences, yellow to red flowers, corollas with a developed tube about as long as the lobes, and ellipsoid medium-sized fruits. The inflorescences are shortly pedunculate and rather congested, to almost subcapitate; they are borne with the leaves, but the fruits usually ripen at nodes on bare stems below the leaves. This is another Hoffmannia species with the average characters of the genus.

Hoffmannia spruces is similar to Hoffmannia killipii, from lower elevations in northwestern South America, and Hoffmannia pittier of Central America. Hoffmannia sprucei is also similar to Hoffmannia longipetiolata, with yellow to whitened flowers and rotate corollas, with the tubes quite short. The plants from Ecuador and Peru are included in Hoffmannia longipetiolata here provisionally, and may deserve re-evaluation as to whether they are distinct from Hoffmannia sprucei. Also similar to these is Hoffmannia asperula, and the distinctions among these three species probably needs more study.