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 drakensbergense – Drakenserg Everlasting

A true high-altitude treasure, Helichrysum drakensbergense is the kind of plant that looks sculpted by cold air and bright sun: woolly grey leaves and tight, flat clusters of yellow everlasting heads on long, white-woolly stalks. It’s a brilliant collector’s species for rockeries and alpine-style beds, and it’s also valued ecologically as a soil-binder in its mountain grassland home.

This is a bushy perennial herb to about 400 mm, often rooting where stems touch the ground, with spatulate, grey-woolly leaves. The heads sit in a congested, flattish cluster, surrounded by straw-coloured glossy bracts, with yellow flowers. Flowering is in early summer, November to January.

It is a Drakensberg endemic, known from a very limited part of the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg (including Garden Castle and Sani Pass), typically 1,525–2,740 m. It’s assessed as Rare (but not currently threatened), and it isn’t known to be used medicinally – so it’s best treated as an ornamental and conservation-minded grower’s plant. Give it sun to light shade, sharp drainage, and a cool, airy position if you’re growing it outside its natural climate.