This species is characterized by its medium-sized to somewhat small, elliptic, stiff-textured leaves; short and shortly tubular stipules (2-8 mm) that are entire to apiculate or shortly aristate; axillary and occasionally terminal, pedunculate, cymose inflorescences; pedicellate flowers; short calyx limbs 1-2 mm long that are dentate to lobed; cream to yellow, greenish yellow, or purple-flushed corollas with tubes 8-16 mm long and lobes 4-8 mm long; oblate fruits 6-10 x 10-16 mm; and habitat in montane forest. The leaves on dried specimens characteristically have a yellowed color. The inflorescences are terminal or often borne on paired axillary peduncles, and are laxly branched to one or two orders. The fruits are oblate but not or only weakly laterally flattened.

Faramea flavicans is variable morphologically as circumscribed here, with two well moarked groups that do not seem to be completely separable. One group of plants has leaves with the secondary veins interconnected in a broadly looping, continuous submarginal vein; inflorescences variously terminal and axillary below the stem apex; corollas with often rather funnelform tubes 8--16 mm long and lobes 4--6 mm long; and fruits 8--10 x 13--16 mm. These plants match the types of Faramea flavicans and Faramea killipii, and are found in Colombia, the Andean Cordillera of Venezuela, and rarely south of here (e.g., Fosberg 28082, Cajamarca, Peru). The other form has leaves with the secondary veins extending without branching to connect with a marginal vein; inflorescences usually terminal; corollas with usually (but not always) cylindrical tubes 8--12 mm long and lobes 3--5 mm long; and fruits 6--8 x 10--12 mm. These plants match the type of Coussarea longiacuminata, and are found in the Andes from southern Colombia through northern Bolivia. Thee leaves of this form are often distinctive in their crenulate margins, with the lamina portion bowed out between the ends of the secondary veins. These two forms are not quite completely distinct morphologically or geographically, however. Some specimens are intermediate in leaf venation, with the individual leaves having secondary veins that are variously extending unbranched to the margins and reticulated; the type specimen of Tetramerium jasminoides matches this form, as do occasional specimens from Ecuador and Peru. And, the size and form of the corollas are not completely correlated with the leaf venation, and the fruits are generally different in size but completely. The stipule form varies from entire and rounded to apiculate or shortly aristate in both forms. The "flavicans" form is found in the main Andean cordillera of Venezuela, but both the "flavicans" and "longiacuminata" forms are found in the Garamacal massif (Dorr et al. 7223, Stergios et al. 20280), just east of the main Andes and markedly disjunct from the other known populations in Ecuador and southern Colombia. Therefore these two forms are not yet fully separable, though there may be two species here, or this may be clinal variation. Further study is needed to clarify the systematics of these plants.

Faramea flavicans is similar to the montane species Faramea coerulescens, which is also found in montane Andean forests but differs in its stipules that are aristate and longer corollas; Faramea flavicans is more commonly collected. Faramea flavicans is also similar to the montane species Faramea candelabrum, which is allopatric and has corollas with shorter tubes that are about equal to the lobes. Faramea flavicans is found in similar habitats to Faramea ovalis, which has longer truncate calyx limbs and well developed stipule aristas. Faramea flavicans is also similar to the montane species Faramea guaramacalensis, which has stipules wiht well developed aristas and longer corollas with narrow sharply acute lobes.

The names Coffea flavicans and Tetramerium jasminoides were published independently, but based on different duplicates of the (presumably) same Humboldt & Bonpland collection. The name Coffea flavicans has about 2 months' priority. The identity of the name Coussarea longiacuminata has not been clear until recently, when new collections from its type region show that it matches Faramea flavicans.