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 umbraculigerum – Woolly Umbrella Everlasting, Woolly Umbrellas; Kerriekruie

One of the most distinctive South African everlastings to raise from seed, Helichrysum umbraculigerum earns its name with an extraordinary inflorescence: countless tiny heads “webbed” together into a flattened, umbrella-like disc, glowing yellow above velvety grey foliage. It’s a collector’s favourite and a highly useful garden plant – particularly in summer-rainfall regions and in international gardens that can provide sun and seasonal moisture.

It’s a tufted South African indigenous perennial with stems that may root as they sprawl, then rise to about a metre. The bracts are canary-yellow (often with golden-brown on the outer bracts), and flowering is January to April, when it can fill a gap in the colour calendar. Its Afrikaans common names include keeribos / kerriekruie, and SANBI notes horticultural value as a filler in herbaceous beds and as a cutflower that can last well in the vase.

Distribution-wise it ranges from the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe south through the Soutpansberg and Mpumalanga highlands to KwaZulu-Natal, the Transkei and into parts of the Eastern Cape, reaching west to areas near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and the mountains around Graaff-Reinet – occurring across Savanna, Grassland and Thicket biomes. It is also documented in scientific literature as one of the Helichrysum species traditionally used in South African medicine, and it has been studied for its volatile compounds/essential oils under cultivation.