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 lingulatum – Tongue-leaved Everlasting

If you’re after a true collector’s showpiece that still reads “wild and authentic,” Helichrysum lingulatum is unforgettable: dense mats, many rosettes, and large solitary heads dressed in bracts that blush pink and fade to white. It’s an exceptional subject for rock gardens, alpine troughs, and curated Helichrysum collections.

This mat-forming South African indigenous perennial grows from woody, well-branched underground stems that produce many crowded rosettes. Each rosette sends up a solitary flowering stem with a large head; the bracts are glossy, delicately pink at first, fading to white, and marked with a crimson blotch near the base inside – dramatic, but still refined. Flowering is in spring (September and October).

It’s recorded from scattered highland localities in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape/Transkei, and Lesotho (about 1,500–1,950 m), often forming mats on hard bare ground or stony turf. For cultivation, replicate that: lean gritty soil, excellent drainage, full sun, and cool air – ideal for highveld gardens and for international growers in cool-summer or alpine-like conditions.