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 tinctum (Gnaphalium tinctum, Leontonyx bicolor, Leontonyx coloratus, Leontonyx glomeratus) – Chaff Everlasting

For growers who love true “wild South Africa” texture, Helichrysum tinctum is a charismatic little everlasting with a low, prostrate habit and tightly packed heads that look like tiny paper lanterns scattered over silvery wool. It’s a rewarding seed choice for rock gardens, gravel beds, and collectors who enjoy plants that stay close to the ground yet still deliver that unmistakable Helichrysum bract-shimmer.

The plant forms many branches from the crown and carries small, rounded spathulate leaves, all felted in pale wool. Flowerheads are usually clustered, with bracts that can range from pale straw to deep gold-brown or even crimson tones, often with hooked, sharply pointed tips – so each population (and sometimes each plant) can show its own palette. Flowering is mainly September to November, bringing spring-to-early-summer colour in both South African and Mediterranean-climate gardens abroad.

Endemic to South Africa, in nature it spans a broad swathe of the western and southern Cape high ground and mountains, from Namaqualand and the Cederberg through Table Mountain to the Humansdorp area, with an outlying record on the Camdeboo plateau – occurring across Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo and Thicket biomes. This wide ecological spread makes it an excellent candidate for sunny, free-draining cultivation where you want a tough, locally meaningful ground-hugger with long-lasting “everlasting” charm.