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 montis-cati – Katberg Everlasting

Helichrysum montis-cati is a bushy half-shrub (often 1–3 m) with long, linear, softly bi-coloured leaves and very dense, rounded clusters of small heads at the branch tips. Its bracts are translucent and pale golden-brown, framing bright yellow florets—an unusually warm, “antique gold” look among mountain everlastings.

It is extremely range-restricted South African endemic, known only from the Katberg Pass area, Cata Forest Reserve and Hogsback in the Amatola Mountains of the Eastern Cape, growing in rough herbage near forest in Grassland and Thicket biomes. Flowering is recorded in October and November.

This is a true “collector’s” species. In cultivation, give it bright light, excellent drainage and good airflow; for international growers, a cool-rooted shrub bed or large container with a mineral, free-draining mix is often the safest approach.