This beard lichen has a shrubby appearance with cylindrical branches and distinct black pigmentation at its base.

Usnea patriciana was formally described as a new species by Frank Bungartz, Maria de los Angeles Herrera-Campos, and Philippe Clerc in 2018.

The type specimen was discovered on San Cristóbal Island, along the northern border of Galápagos National Park; there, at an altitude of 315 m (1,033 ft), it was found growing on fallen tree branches.

The species was named in appreciation of herbarium curator Patricia Jaramillo, of the Charles Darwin Research Station, "for her friendship and continued support of the Galapagos Lichen Inventory".

The soralia, reproductive structures on the lichen's surface, are plane, circular to elongated, and remain well-delimited by a thin cortical rim that persists even when crowded.