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 cerastoides (Helichrysum cerastioides) – Leafy Everlasting

The name “cerastoides” you’ll see in older usage aligns with the well-documented Helichrysum cerastioides complex – small, densely branched shrublets that can look almost snow-dusted in the landscape. For growers, it’s a rewarding species for bright, open plantings where fine texture and long-lasting flower colour matter as much as sheer size.

Expect compact plants with many leaves and showy, papery heads: white bracts often tinged pink, with yellow florets tipped pink for a softly two-toned finish. The main flowering season is winter into spring, typically June to October.

In global distribution it spans central southern Africa, recorded from north-eastern Namibia through Botswana to Zimbabwe, and across drier interior regions of South Africa (including the arid north-eastern Cape and highveld areas). Helichrysum are widely associated with traditional ethnobotanical use in South Africa at a genus level, and this plant also excels as an ornamental “everlasting” for water-wise gardens – especially where you want a low, branched form that looks at home among stones and grasses.