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. tenax (Helichrysum fulgidum subnudatum) – Giant Sticky Everlasting; Klewerig Reusesewejaartjie

Helichrysum tenax var. tenax is the quintessential “sticky everlasting” – big rosettes, strong growth, and richly coloured bracts that make it both a garden statement plant and an excellent candidate for dried stems. For South African growers it’s a tough, mountain-proven species; for international collectors it’s a signature Drakensberg-type Helichrysum with real personality.

A bushy, aromatic South African indigenous subshrub (to about 1.8 m), it forms thickened woody bases and prominent rosettes, then sends up flowering stems with large heads. The bracts in this variety are yellow, with yellow florets, and flowering occurs October to December.

It grows on grassy mountain slopes, often near rocks or in boulder beds of mountain streams, and it can readily colonise disturbed ground – useful for restoration-style plantings. Its range runs from the mountainous north of Lesotho along the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg and outliers, into the Transkei Drakensberg face and across to elevated parts of the Eastern Cape.