Helichrysum monticola is a small plant, a perennial herb growing from a woody rootstock to around 30 cm. The branched stems are densely leafy. The leaves are lanceolate, broad or narrow, with upturned, entire margins. The upper leaf surfaces have glandular hairs, the lower ones are densely covered in woolly hairs.

The distribution of the species ranges from the Eastern Cape to Mpumalanga, often in the medium altitude regions of the Drakensberg, above 1500 m. The plant grows on exposed rocky slopes.

This specimen was seen north of Matatiele in East Griqualand (JSTOR; iSpot).