A dwarf evergreen bush 6 to 10 in. high, with numerous erect, very leafy branches, minutely downy when young. Leaves alternate, 1⁄2 to 5⁄8 in. long, linear, tapering towards each end, recurved slightly at the margins, finely toothed, deep glossy green, crowded on the branchlets. Flowers solitary on slender, downy, glandular stalks 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. long; produced in April in a cluster of four to ten at the end of each twig. Corolla delicate rose, broadly funnel-shaped, 1⁄2 in. across, with five triangular, pointed lobes. Calyx-lobes ovate, 1⁄8 in. long, glabrous; style protruded.
A hybrid raised about 1845 in the nursery of Messrs Cunningham & Fraser at Comely Bank, Edinburgh, between Rhodothamnus chamaecistus and, so its raisers stated, Phyllodoce caerulea. The general belief is, however, that P. empetriformis was the other parent. It is a very pretty shrub, but requires considerable care to keep it in permanent health in the south, where the dry heats of July and August cause it to suffer. A cool, moist spot in the rock garden where the soil is peaty may be recommended for it.