This species is characterized by its glabrescent leaves and stems, retrorse-pubescent petioles, relatively small leaves with the lobes closely set, white corollas, pubescent hypanthia, and pubescent orange or red fruits. Steyermark (1972) separated two varieties of this species based on leaf size and shape and details of leaf pubescence, one of them found throughout the range of the species and Geophila orbicularis var. neblinae on the Sierra de la Neblina; he also reported the typical variety from Sierra de la Neblina. The status of these is not entirely clear, and needs further study.

Steyermark's treatment of Geophila orbicularis was incompletely edited and problematic nomenclaturally, because he listed as formal synonyms two names that were incorrectly cited. He cited Cephaelis reniformis Kunth as a synonym of Geophila orbicularis based on a specimen of Humboldt & Bonpland's that was identified as this species by Kunth, but this is not the type of that name so this citation should be considered a note rather than a formal synonymy. Kunth's name included the citation of a previously published name, Psychotria herbacea Jacq., so it is a superfluous name with the type of Jacquin's name, which is not a specimen collected by Humboldt & Bonpland. To add to the confusion, Steyermark here also cited Cephaelis reniformis as a simultaneously a synonym of Geophila repens, also based on an incorrect (and different) interpretation of its type. And, Steyermark also cited as a synonym of Geophila orbicularis the name "Geophila reniformis (Kunth) Cham. & Schltdl.", but that last name was never published and seems to have been an incorrect citation of Geophila reniformis D. Don, which is not synonymous with Geophila orbicularis.