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Dwarf shrub of the Ericaceae family, belonging to the Tsutsusi section. The type species is endemic to the island of Kyushu, Japan, where it colonizes the open slopes and moorlands of volcanic summits, notably on Mount Aso and Mount Kuju. This alpinum variety corresponds to the smallest and most creeping forms, collected at the highest altitudes of the species' range.
It forms a small, very branched shrub, with a spreading and irregular habit, with slender and twisted branches, rarely reaching more than 20 to 30 cm in height. The leaves are very small, oval, densely covered with appressed hairs that give them a distinctly gray and velvety texture, a particularly marked characteristic in this variety compared to the type species.
The flowers are solitary or grouped in twos or threes, widely open, with five well-spread lobes and prominent stamens, of a bright pink-purple to mauve. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from May to June depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally occurs in April-May.
It requires an acidic, very well-drained, humus-rich soil, in a sunny to semi-shaded exposure. Its small size and naturally twisted habit make it a plant of choice for rock garden containers or pot cultivation on a lightened acidic substrate.