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 spiralepis (Helichrysum involucratum, Leontonyx squarrosus, Leontonyx tomentosus) – Spiral Everlasting

Helichrysum spiralepis is a brilliant “bridge species” for buyers: South African growers value it as a tough grassland/fynbos everlasting with local identity, while international growers get a widely adaptable African perennial that can naturalise beautifully in meadow-style plantings. It’s also known by the Sesotho common names Motsuoane-oa-metsi / Toane-ea-metsi, reflecting its place in regional botanical knowledge.

It’s a tufted, grey-woolly perennial herb with rosetted basal leaves and compact flower heads. The papery bracts are the show: they can be whitish or creamy, often tinged pink through to red-purple, with tips that may extend into dramatic pointed forms – so a single population can look delicately pastel or richly flushed depending on form and location. Flowering ranges from September to March depending on distribution.

Indigenous to South Africa, its range is broad, from the Cape Peninsula and coastal mountains eastwards through the Eastern Cape, then north-east through KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, the Free State, Eswatini and into the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. This makes it a strong candidate for adaptable cultivation: well-drained soils, bright light, and seasonal moisture will produce woolly foliage and long-lasting heads – excellent for wildflower gardens, conservation plantings, and drying for everlasting arrangements (a hallmark of many Helichrysum).