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 tenax var. pallidum

For bold texture and presence, Helichrysum tenax var. pallidum offers the dramatic rosettes and showy heads of H. tenax, but with a paler, more “ivory-gold” bract effect that reads beautifully in the landscape and in dried arrangements. Its sticky, aromatic nature also makes it a charismatic collector’s plant.

This is a robust, bushy subshrub (to about 1.8 m) with large terminal leaf rosettes and thick, woody bases. The heads are large and often solitary (or clustered), with bracts described as creamy-white overlaid palest buff in this variety; florets are yellow. Flowering is mainly October to November.

Endemic to South Africa, in the wild it is associated with steep, rocky terrain, frequently rooted in crevices, and is recorded from a small area in the far south-eastern interior: Tabankulu/Insizwa Mountains (former Transkei) and around Ngeli Mountain and the Suurberg near Weza in KwaZulu-Natal. It is listed as rare on South Africa’s Red List, adding to its appeal for careful, ethical cultivation from seed.