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 isolepis

If you love rare, highland treasures, Helichrysum isolepis is a brilliant seed offering: a rarely collected Eastern Cape endemic mountain species with compact, bright heads and a naturally rugged temperament. Its everlasting bracts also make it attractive for dried displays, and it sits beautifully in rock gardens and alpine-style beds.

This is a straggling perennial that can root as it spreads, forming loose, tangled clumps. The heads cluster into a rounded “pompon” at the tips, with bright canary-yellow radiating bracts and yellow florets – high impact in miniature, especially when grown hard in full sun and sharp drainage.

It is known only from the Great Winterberg and Katberg Pass area in the Eastern Cape, in stony mountain grassland. Flowering is recorded in December and January, making it a summer-flowering specialist for collectors who enjoy true montane provenance.