Erica sparmannii is a sparse, erect shrub with straight branches reaching heights around 45 cm.

It forms part of the Dasyanthes section of the Syringodea subgenus of Erica. Dasyanthes species are characterised by flowers growing in terminal umbels, their corollas hairy and inflated. The yellowish flowers of E. sparmannii are distinct from the mainly pink ones of the other Dasyanthes species.

The distribution of E. sparmannii is largely in the Eastern Cape from Uniondale through the Langkloof to Humansdorp, where it grows on dry fynbos flats and lower slopes (Baker and Oliver, 1967; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot).