Erica caterviflora has a very limited distribution. It is an unusual erica as it assumes different growth forms depending upon where it grows. It may grow into a small tree, as a lithophyte (cliff-loving), or it can be stunted and bonsai-like.

Large specimens have trunks up to about 150 mm in diameter, grow up to 5 m tall and produce wiry branches that spread about 4 m wide. The majority of specimens, however, form large shrubs between 2 and 4 m tall. Quite a few plants were found growing out of crevices in the cliff face. These cliff-loving plants (lithophytes) grow happily in this cool, shaded, moist habitat although they are much smaller and stunted. A few plants were seen growing on boulders that had fallen from the cliff. These plants were severely stunted with thick, gnarled trunks and a growth habit much like bonsai plants.

Erica caterviflora is an erect, well-branched, woody plant with greyish brown, flaky bark. The leaves are dark green and densely packed around the stems and branches, producing a soft textural effect.

It produces short, tubular or urn-shaped flowers that range from pink to pale pink or white. The flowers are numerous and densely packed in congested clusters at the ends of branches. The flowers of this species are covered with fine hairs, but there is another far less common variety, E. caterviflora var. glabrata, which is hairless (glabrous). Flowers are produced from January to March and are honey-scented. Numerous small seeds are produced in small lobed capsules from February to May.

Erica caterviflora is a very slow growing, long-lived species. It grows in seldom-burnt microhabitats that allow it to grow undisturbed for long periods of time. It is very difficult to guess age, but mature specimens have been estimated to be well over 100 years old.