Erica lusitanica is a hairy, woody shrub just under 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet) in maximum height.

It is densely covered in plumes of green, leathery, needle-like evergreen leaves each less than a centimeter long.

The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long filled with minuscule seeds small enough to disperse on the wind.

It is named for Lusitania, a historical region encompassing most of modern Portugal and parts of western Spain.

Garden escapes easily become introduced species and sometimes invasive species—noxious weeds in certain climates.