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 longinquum

For the serious Helichrysum collector, Helichrysum longinquum offers something rare: a highly localised Drakensberg species with a distinctive basal rosette and tawny straw-coloured heads. If you enjoy plants with real provenance – species that feel like a postcard from a specific mountain slope – this one belongs on your shortlist.

This is a rare South African endemic perennial herb with a small stock and tuberous, fusiform roots, producing slender stolons and a solitary flowering stem. The leaves are relatively large and spread flat on the ground, prominently nerved, while the terminal cluster holds compact heads with straw-coloured to tawny bracts (darker at the tips) and yellow florets. Flowering is recorded in mid-summer (January and February).

It grows on moist grassy slopes at roughly 2,100–2,300 m and is known only from a small area of the southern KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg (Mpendhle and Underberg districts). In South Africa it is listed as Rare, so it’s an ideal “grow-to-conserve” species for responsible cultivation: keep it cool, bright, and well-drained but not bone-dry in summer – think alpine meadow conditions rather than arid rockery.