Erica hottentotica E.G.H.Oliv.

Erect compact shrub 0.5-1.0 m, rarely up to 2.5 m, tall. Branches erect, leafy with numerous dense lateral short shoots, softly puberulous, without infrafoliar ridges, bark flaking irregularly when old. Leaves 4-nate, erect, imbricate, 0.5-3.5 mm long, oblong-elliptic, subobtuse, flattened adaxially with a distinct sharp margin, convex and sulcate abaxially, with a few scattered short hairs mainly towards margins abaxially, adaxially hairy; petiole ± 0.5 mm long, sparsely ciliolate. Flowers 1-to 4-nate terminal on short lateral branchlets, upright to pendent; pedicel ± 2.0 mm long, puberulous; bract remote to median, 0.6 x 0.2 mm, oblong, not sulcate, sparsely puberulous; bracteoles 2, median, same as bract. Calyx 4-partite; segments 1.4 x 0.8 mm, ovate to lanceolate, slightly sulcate apically, puberulous, pink. Corolla 4-lobed, 3.0 x 2.0 mm, cyathiform to urceolate, puberulous, red, lobes ± 0.5 mm long, rounded erect or slightly reflexed. Stamens 8, included; filaments ± 1.5 mm long, filiform, with sigmoid bend just below anther, glabrous; anther dorsally attached near base, appendiculate, thecae 1.0 x 0.3 mm, oblong with acute apex, sparsely puberulous laterally and adaxially mainly towards base, awns ± 0.4 mm long, sparsely puberulous, pore half length of theca. Ovary 4-locular, 0.5 x 0.7 mm, oblate to obovate, slightly 8-lobed, emarginate, with basal nectary glands, with a few longish hairs apically, ± 4 slightly erect ovules per locule; style ± 4.0 mm long, glabrous, just exserted; stigma cyathiform with 4 apical stigmatic papillae. Fruit unknown.