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 krookii

If you love Drakensberg plants with personality, Helichrysum krookii is irresistibly collectible: compact, colony-forming, and built for cool grassland seepages. Its bright heads also have strong ornamental value, and the “everlasting” bracts can be enjoyed well beyond peak flowering.

This is a tuberous-rooted, rhizomatous perennial with few, very large leaves (distinctly veined) and a solitary flowering stem. The heads are fused into very compact, felted clusters, with bright canary-yellow bracts and yellow florets (sometimes red-tinged), creating a dense, button-like display that reads beautifully at close range.

Indigenous to South Africa, it forms small colonies in grassland – often near streams or on moist slopes – running along the Drakensberg and outliers from the KwaZulu-Natal/Mpumalanga border southwards toward the Transkei and Eastern Cape highlands. Flowering is recorded in January and February, making it a prime midsummer mountain species.