There’s a reason Helichrysum has earned names like “everlasting,” “strawflower,” and “golden immortelle.” Across Africa, Eurasia, Madagascar, and even parts of Australia, this remarkable genus has adapted into an astonishing range of forms – from compact alpine cushions on windswept peaks to sprawling coastal pioneers on dunes, and tall, aromatic shrubs rising through savanna grassland. Many species seem almost sculpted for harshness: felted leaves that reflect heat, resinous scent glands that reduce water loss, and papery bracts that hold their colour long after flowering.

In southern Africa especially, Helichrysum becomes a signature of wild landscapes. Some species carpet high Drakensberg slopes like silver mats; others form tidy, upright tufts in montane grassland; and some are so specialised that they cling to cliff faces or root into shallow pockets of stony soil. The flowers, often arranged in tight button-clusters or open daisy-like heads, glow in tones of yellow, cream, white, pink, copper, red, and rose – and in many species the “petals” are actually brilliantly coloured bracts that preserve their beauty even when dried.

Beyond their ornamental appeal, Helichrysum carries deep cultural importance. Many species are traditionally used for fragrance, medicinal preparations, ceremonial burning, and as protective plants. For modern growers, they offer the irresistible combination of wild provenance, drought resilience, and striking textures – a true collector’s genus, equally suited to naturalistic gardens, rockeries, alpine troughs and habitat restoration planting.

Helichrysum album

For serious alpine collectors, Helichrysum album is a rare, high-Drakensberg gem – sought after because it’s seldom collected and naturally restricted to a narrow mountain range. It offers refined, gleaming white everlasting heads that look stunning against stone and short montane turf.

Its solitary heads carry many series of glossy white bracts with a striking crimson flush at the base on the inner side, surrounding a dense crowd of florets. It flowers in late summer (January–March), a prime window for high-altitude species in the southern African mountains.

In nature it grows in small colonies on steep broken turf slopes and low basalt cliffs along the KwaZulu-Natal–Lesotho border, from the Cathedral Peak area to Garden Castle, roughly 2,000-3,300 m, while still being endemic to South Africa. Give it maximum light, sharp mineral drainage, and protection from humid stagnation – ideal for alpine troughs, cool rockeries, and specialist collections worldwide.