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 basalticum (Gnaphalium alticolum)

This is a high-Drakensberg specialist that turns bare basalt into a living mat – exactly the kind of species alpine collectors chase. It’s superb for rock gardens, troughs, and crevice-style planting where you want a compact native that looks like it truly belongs in stone.

Helichrysum basalticum is a perennial herb with rosettes and several prostrate flowering stems, thickly grey-woolly and closely leafy. The heads sit in congested terminal clusters; bracts are translucent, tawny-yellow and often tipped golden-brown, while the florets are yellow – small-scale detail that rewards close viewing. Flowering is recorded from February to April.

Indigenous to South Africa, it forms small mats on basalt sheets and bare stony ground along the high Drakensberg, from Mont aux Sources down to Naude’s Nek (Cape Drakensberg), making it a true montane grassland plant. For cultivation, think sharp drainage, full sun, and cool conditions – excellent in highveld gardens and, internationally, in alpine climates or cool-summer regions.