This species is characterized by its medium-sized habit, stipules that are shortly united around the stem and enlarged and rounded on each interpetiolar side with a group of glands near (but not at) the tip, petiolate elliptic to obovate leaves will regularly well developed pit domatia, pedunculate pyramidal inflorescences that are paniculiform with the axes opposite, reduced calyx limbs with only a short rim of tissue and a few short lobes, rather small corollas with the tube 3--6 mm long and about twice as long as the lobes, and oblate to subglobose red fruits about 3-4 x 6-7 mm with pyrenes that are smooth abaxially. Some plants included here, mainly from Ecuador, have pilosulous domatia, or very small pit domatia situated in a pubescent area in the vein axil.
Rudgea foveolata is similar in general aspect to Rudgea tambillensis, which lacks foveolate domatia and has developed subtruncate calyx limbs and shorter, broadly rounded to truncate stipules. As noted by Zappi (2000) Rudgea foveolata was confused by Standley (1931) with Rudgea ciliata. Rudgea foveolata was also confused by Taylor & Pool (1991) with Rudgea stenophylla, however that name is a synonym of Rudgea tomentosa.