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 glaciale

A true cliff-dwelling alpine jewel, Helichrysum glaciale looks like it belongs in the clouds: a rounded dwarf shrublet that roots into ledges and cracks, then opens large, luminous heads with a subtle rosy “ice-cream” cast. For collectors, it’s a dream species for cool rockeries, troughs, and high-drainage alpine setups.

Indigenous to South Africa, it forms a well-branched shrublet to about 200 mm high and can spread wider, with closely imbricate, greyish-white woolly leaves. The heads are large and often solitary, with white bracts described as tinged crimson at the base, giving the whole head a rosy effect; the flowers are yellow.

In the wild it grows from cracks and ledges on basalt and dolerite cliffs in the high Drakensberg, recorded from sites spanning parts of Lesotho and the Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal/Eastern Cape, around 2,500–2,900 m. Flowering is recorded November to January, and cultivation typically demands excellent drainage, cool nights, bright light, and protection from hot, humid stagnation.