Crassula sarcocaulis subsp. rupicola resembles a bonsai tree reaching heights to about 60 cm. The lengths of the needle-like leaves vary. The flowers are white and pink, occurring in autumn and winter.
The subspecies distribution is in the Eastern Cape, the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, as well as in Lesotho.
The habitat is moist, partially shaded rocky, grassland outcrops at higher altitudes where lower temperatures are common. The subspecies is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).