This species is characterized by its medium-sized narrowly elliptic leaves, fasciculate 3-4-flowered inflorescences, short dentate involucels, peduncles or pedicels 3-12 mm long, short lobed calyx limbs, and red corollas with tubes 15-18 mm long. The leaves are obtuse to rounded at the apices. The inflorescences lack a developed primary axis. The fruits apparently are rarely collected.

Retiniphyllum pauciflorum is similar to Retiniphyllum cataractae, which has a shortly deeloped primary axis and has shorter white corollas. Retiniphyllum pauciflorum is also similar to Retiniphyllum scabrum, which has winged pyrenes, pedicels 1-5.5 mm long, and corolla tubes 20-27 mm long, and also is characteristically unusually resinous on the stem apices and inflorescences; Retiniphyllum scabrum is also found at higher elevations. Retiniphyllum pauciflorum is also generally similar to Retiniphyllum fuchsioides of Andean Peru, which has inflorescences with well developed peduncles and primary axes.