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 ecklonis (Helichrysum lamprocephalum, Helichrysum scapiforme) – Ecklons Everlasting

For a big, “showpiece” everlasting that can swing from clean white to romantic pink, Helichrysum ecklonis is a classic. It’s widely admired for its large solitary heads and woolly, silvered plant body, and it has long been recognised under common names like Ecklon’s everlasting and umuthi wechanti.

This South African indigenous perennial has a stout woody stock and typically produces a single, terminal flowering stem. The heads are large, with glossy bracts that range from white to deep rose pink, with many flowers packed inside – excellent for cutting and drying when harvested at peak bract colour. Flowering is mainly September to December.

It grows on grassy slopes from the low Drakensberg region through KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and down into the Eastern Cape, spanning sea level to high elevations (to about 2,750 m) – a broad ecological amplitude that helps explain why it performs well across a range of garden settings. It is accepted as native to South Africa in global taxonomic sources.