Erica articularis var. articularis

Erica articularis var. articularis, commonly the articulated heath, is an erect shrublet of variable height between 1 m and 2 m. It grows pale, bare lower branches that are roughly marked from old leaves having dropped off. The plant resprouts from its woody rootstock after fire.

The leaves clustered on the upper branches are sparsely imbricate or overlapping, adhering to the stem or nearly so. These small, almost stalkless leaves are fleshy, sometimes yellowish at the base. The leaf shape is narrowly oblong with convex, keeled outer surface and a tapering tip.

The distribution of the E. articularis species overall is in the Western Cape from near Clanwilliam and on the Cape Peninsula to Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape. 

The species grows in fynbos on middle and upper sandstone slopes among rocks. The variety's habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning and Helme, 2024; iNaturalist; iSpot; www.fernkloof.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org; ).