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 trilineatum (Helichrysum trilineatum brevifolium, Helichrysum trilineatum glabriusculum, Helichrysum trilineatum tomentosum) – Social Everlasting; Vaalbergkaroo

For maximum versatility and drama, Helichrysum trilineatum is hard to beat: a woody shrub that can form large colonies on mountain slopes, carrying bright canary-yellow bracts that pop against either grey-woolly or green foliage forms. It’s a brilliant seed choice for collectors and for gardeners wanting a long-flowering, high-impact everlasting in meadow and mountain-style plantings.

The plant is a twiggy, rounded South African indigenous shrub (from low to around a metre), with small bicoloured leaves often marked by parallel veins – hence the name. Flowerheads sit in compact branched clusters; outer bracts are pale golden-brown while the inner bracts are bright canary-yellow, lightly radiating for a crisp, luminous effect. It flowers mainly August to February, and can be found in flower in almost any month – excellent for extended seasonal colour.

Its distribution is broad across South Africa’s interior and eastern mountain systems, from the Koudeveld Mountains and Sneeuberg across to the Stormberg and Winterberg ranges, then along the Drakensberg and its outliers up to Mont aux Sources, also occurring on the Lesotho mountains. It’s recorded across Grassland, Savanna and Succulent Karoo biomes, making it widely adaptable for sunny, well-drained cultivation in comparable climates worldwide.