This species is characterized by its medium-sized habit, usually oblanceolate leaves with well developed foveolate domatia, well developed bilobed interpetiolar stipules, and inflorescences with spiciform axes and small flowers grouped into several glomerules or heads. It is similar to Psychotria remota.
Psychotria virids produces the hallucinogenic chemical DMT, and is used as part of the South American traditional hallucinogenic ayahuasca mixture. Sacks (Hallucinations, Alfred A. Knopf, p. 97, 2012) notes "Ayahuasca is, in fact, a blend of two plants: Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi, neither of which has any hallucinogenic power by itself. The leaves of Psychotria contain dimethytryptamine (DMT), a very powerful hallucinogen -- but DMT, if taken by mouth, is deactivated in the gut by monoamine oxidase (MAO). Banisteriopsis, however contains compounds that inhibit the MAO and so allow the DMT to be absorbed." DMT is a federally controlled substance in the U.S., and possession is illegal.
This species was studied by McCartha et al. (2019) in their study of nickel hyperaccumulation, and found to not be a hyperaccumulator.