This species has hirsute pubescence on stems and leaves, and rather robust (for Geophila leaf blades with the basal lobes closely set or even overlapping. Steyermark (1972) separated two varieties of this species based on stipule size and leaf size and shape, and these had different ranges: the typical variety was reported from most of South America except Peru and Bolivia, while Geophila cordifolia var. peruviana was reported from Peru and Bolivia. He did not report seeing specimens of this species from Ecuador or Central America. Es & Piesschaert reported (in Lorence et al., 2012) that the Central American plants are intermediate between these varieties, and did not assign them to either variety. These varieties have also not been compared to Ecuadorian plants to confirm if there is a gradual morphological cline along the Andes or two distinct groups here. These vareties are not recognized here pending further study, and deserve evaluation.
The name Geophila hostmanniana was published simultaneously with Geophila cordifolia, and no material corresponding to that has been seen but these may apply to the same species. It is not clear if these have been formally synonymized previously, with one formally chosen over the other.