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 aureum var. candidum

If you’re after a true “white everlasting” effect without losing the golden heart of Helichrysum, var. candidum is the standout. This South African indigenous species offers a clean, luminous palette – snow-white, papery bracts that make the flower heads look almost frosted, even in bright sun.

This perennial herb forms rosettes and produces several flowering stems, with heads that can be solitary or arranged in small clusters near the stem tips. The key feature is the snow-white involucral bracts (with yellow florets inside), giving the plant its unmistakable pale display. Flowering is noted from August to October.

Naturally it’s a grassland taxon recorded from parts of Eswatini (Pigg’s Peak and Mbabane), Mpumalanga (Wakkerstroom area), and several KwaZulu-Natal districts (including Utrecht and Paulpietersburg). That distribution suits it to sunny, open positions with well-drained soil, and it can be especially striking in spring plantings where the white bracts pop against new seasonal growth.