The genus
Helichrysum (pronounced hel-i-CRY-sum, or hee-li-CRY-sum) consists of an estimated 600 species, in the sunflower family (
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
). The type species is
Helichrysum orientale.
The name is derived from the Greek words
helisso (to turn around) and
chrysos (gold). Common names include
strawflower and
everlasting.
It occurs in Africa (with 244 species in South Africa), Madagascar, Australasia and Eurasia. The plants may be
annualsAn annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
, herbaceous
perennialsA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
or
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, growing to a height of 60-90 cm.
Their
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are oblong to lanceolate. They are flat and pubescent on both sides. The bristles of the pappus are scabrous, barbellate, or plumose.
The receptacle (
base of the flower head) is often smooth, with a fringed margin, or honey-combed, and resemble daisies. They may be in almost all colors, except blue. There are many
capitulaAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
and generally flat-topped
corymbsA panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches ....
or
panicleA panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches ....
s. The corolla lobes show glandular hairs at the abaxial surface.
Several species are grown as
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
s, and for dried flowers. When cut young and dried, the open flowers and stalks preserve their colour and shape for long periods.
Helichrysum species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including the
bucculaticidBucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
leaf-miners
Bucculatrix gnaphaliella (which feeds exclusively on
Helichrysum arenarium) and
Bucculatrix helichrysella (feeds exclusively on
H. italicum) and the
ColeophoraColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
case-bearers
C. caelebipennella,
C. gnaphalii (feeds exclusively on
H arenarium) and
C. helichrysiella (feeds exclusively on
H. italicum).
Helichrysum augustifolium is steam distilled to produce a yellow-reddish
essential oilAn essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it...
popular in fragrance for its unique scent, best described as a mixture of burnt sugar and ham.
Species
Hilllard (1983) divided this large and heterogeneous genus in 30 morphological groups. But this genus is controversial and is considered by many as an artificial genus. The taxonomy of the large
polymorphicPolymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
and probably polyphyletic
Helichrysum genus is complex and not yet satisfactorily resolved. Several Australian species, such as
H. acuminatum and
H. bracteatum, have been reclassified in the genus
XerochrysumXerochrysum is a genus of five species of flowering plants native to Australia.Species*Xerochrysum bracteatum Xerochrysum (syn. Bracteantha) is a genus of five species of flowering plants native to Australia.Species*Xerochrysum bracteatum Xerochrysum (syn. Bracteantha) is a genus of five species...
in 1991, resp. as
X. subundulatum and
X. bracteatum. In 1989, misaligned species of
Helichrysum were reclassified in
SyncarphaSyncarpha is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. The species are endemic to the Eastern Cape and Western Cape in South Africa.-Species:Syncarpha species include:...
. Species included in
PseudognaphaliumPseudognaphalium is a plant genus in the Asteraceae family.Classification of a number of species is disputed between Pseudognaphalium and the related genus Gnaphalium.-Species:...
are probably congeneric with
Helichrysum. In 2004, A. Miller identified five potentially new species that have not yet been published but were included in the
IUCN Red ListThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1948, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is the world's main authority on the conservation...
data, given their restricted range in
YemenYemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is a country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia...
. They are as follows:
- Helichrysum sp. nov. A - Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It was given a status of "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.
- Helichrysum sp. nov. B - Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas. It was given a status of "Vulnerable".
- Helichrysum sp. nov. C - Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss. It was given a status of "Endangered".
- Helichrysum sp. nov. D - Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It was given a status of "Endangered".
- Helichrysum sp. nov. E - Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It was given a status of "Data deficient".
Established species include:
- Helichrysum abrotaniforme
- Helichrysum acuminatum
- Helichrysum acutatum : Sticky Everlasting
- Helichrysum adenocarpum : Pink Everlasting, Red Everlasting
- Helichrysum adenophorum
- Helichrysum adnatum
- Helichrysum adonidiforme
- Helichrysum aggregatum
- Helichrysum alatum
- Helichrysum albicans
- Helichrysum allioides
- Helichrysum alpinum
- Helichrysum ambiguum
- Helichrysum amorginum
- Helichrysum angustum
- Helichrysum anomalum
- Helichrysum antennaria
- Helichrysum anthemoides
- Helichrysum apiculatum
- Helichrysum appendiculatum : Sheep's Ears Everlasting
- Helichrysum arenarium
Helichrysum arenarium is also known as dwarf everlast, and Immortelle -Description:An annual plant, it grows to be an average of 0.3 m tall....
: Dwarf Everlasting
- Helichrysum arenarium ssp. arenarium
- Helichrysum arenarium ssp. ponticum
- Helichrysum argentissimum
- Helichrysum argyroglottis
- Helichrysum argyrolepis
- Helichrysum argyrophyllum
- Helichrysum argyrosphaerum : Wild Everlasting
- Helichrysum asteroides
- Helichrysum aureonitens : Golden Everlasting
- Helichrysum aureum : Yellow Everlasting
- Helichrysum auriceps
- Helichrysum ayersii
- Helichrysum baccharoides
- Helichrysum backhousei
- Helichrysum banksii
- Helichrysum basedowii
- Helichrysum beckleri
- Helichrysum bicolor
- Helichrysum bidwillii
- Helichrysum bilobum
- Helichrysum blackallii
- Helichrysum blandowskianum
- Helichrysum boormanii
- Helichrysum brachyrhynchum
- Helichrysum bracteatum
- Helichrysum buftonii
- Helichrysum bupthalmoides
- Helichrysum caespititium
- Helichrysum calvertianum
- Helichrysum candolleanum
- Helichrysum cassinioides
- Helichrysum cassiope
- Helichrysum cephaloideum
- Helichrysum cerastioides
- Helichrysum chionosphaerum : Dwarf Everlasting
- Helichrysum chlorochrysum
- Helichrysum cinereum
- Helichrysum cladochaetum
- Helichrysum cochleariforme : Gold-and-silver
- Helichrysum collinum
- Helichrysum conditum
- Helichrysum confertifolium
- Helichrysum cooperi : Yellow Everlasting
- Helichrysum cordatum
- Helichrysum coriaceum
- Helichrysum costatifructum
- Helichrysum crispum
- Helichrysum cunninghamii
- Helichrysum cylindrifolium
- Helichrysum cymosum
- Helichrysum dasyanthum
- Helichrysum dasymallum
- Helichrysum davenportii
- Helichrysum decorum
- Helichrysum diosmifolium (synonym of Ozothamnus diosmifolius
Ozothamnus diosmifolius, or Rice Flower, is an erect shrub to 2 metres high which is native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.Other common names for this species include White Dogwood, Pill Flower and Sago Bush....
)
- Helichrysum diotophyllum
- Helichrysum doerfleri
- Helichrysum ecklonis : Ecklon's Everlasting
- Helichrysum epapposum
- Helichrysum eremaeum
- Helichrysum eriocephalum
- Helichrysum erosum
- Helichrysum expansifolium
- Helichrysum felinum : Strawberry Everlasting
- Helichrysum ferrugineum
- Helichrysum filifolium
- Helichrysum flavissimum
- Helichrysum foetidum : Polecat Strawflower, Stinking Strawflower
- Helichrysum formosissimum
- Helichrysum frigidum
- Helichrysum gatesii
- Helichrysum gilesii
- Helichrysum glomeratum
- Helichrysum glutinosum
- Helichrysum gracilescens
- Helichrysum grandiflorum
- Helichrysum graveolens
- Helichrysum grayi
- Helichrysum griseum
- Helichrysum gymnocomum
- Helichrysum harveyanum
- Helichrysum hebelepis
- Helichrysum heldreichii
- Helichrysum herbaceum : Monkey-tail Everlasting
- Helichrysum hirtoviscosum
- Helichrysum humboldtianum
- Helichrysum hypoleucum
- Helichrysum incanum
- Helichrysum indicum
- Helichrysum inornatum
- Helichrysum insigne
- Helichrysum involucratum
- Helichrysum italicum
Helichrysum italicum or Helichrysum angustifolium is a flowering plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is sometimes called the curry plant because of the strong smell of its leaves. It grows on dry, rocky or sandy ground around the Mediterranean. The stems are woody at the base and can reach...
- Helichrysum italicum ssp. italicum
- Helichrysum italicum ssp. microphyllum
- Helichrysum italicum ssp. serotinum
- Helichrysum kempei
- Helichrysum kraussii : Straw Everlasting
- Helichrysum krookii
- Helichrysum lanuginosum
- Helichrysum lawrencella
- Helichrysum ledifolium
- Helichrysum lepidophyllum
- Helichrysum leptolepis
- Helichrysum leucocephalum
- Helichrysum leucopsideum
- Helichrysum lindleyi
- Helichrysum lindsayanum
- Helichrysum lucidum
- Helichrysum lucilioides
- Helichrysum lycopodioides
- Helichrysum macivorii
- Helichrysum maidenii
- Helichrysum manglesii
- Helichrysum melanacme
- Helichrysum mellorianum
- Helichrysum milliganii
- Helichrysum mimetes : Curry Everlasting
- Helichrysum moeserianum
- Helichrysum monochaetum
- Helichrysum mundtii
- Helichrysum nanum
- Helichrysum newcastlianum
- Helichrysum niveum
- Helichrysum nudifolium : Hottentot's Tea
- Helichrysum obcordatum
- Helichrysum obovatum
- Helichrysum obtusifolium
- Helichrysum occidentale
- Helichrysum odoratissimum
- Helichrysum oldfieldii
- Helichrysum oligochaetum
- Helichrysum oreophilum
- Helichrysum orientale (type species)
- Helichrysum oxylepis
- Helichrysum pallidum
- Helichrysum panduratum
- Helichrysum pandurifolium
- Helichrysum paralium
- Helichrysum patulum : Honey Everlasting
- Helichrysum pedunculatum
- Helichrysum petiolare : Licorice Plant
- Helichrysum pholidotum
- Helichrysum pilosellum
- Helichrysum pleurandroides
- Helichrysum plicatum
- Helichrysum podolepidium
- Helichrysum populifolium : Poplar Helichrysum
- Helichrysum porrectum
- Helichrysum pseudoferrugineum
- Helichrysum pseudoturbinatum
- Helichrysum pterochaetum
- Helichrysum pumilio
- Helichrysum purpurascens
- Helichrysum puteale
- Helichrysum ramosissimum
- Helichrysum readeri
- Helichrysum reticulatum
- Helichrysum reflexum : White Everlasting
- Helichrysum retortum
- Helichrysum revolutum
- Helichrysum robustum
- Helichrysum rogersianum
- Helichrysum roseum
- Helichrysum rosum
- Helichrysum ruderale
- Helichrysum rufescens
- Helichrysum rugulosum
- Helichrysum rupestre
Helichrysum rupestre is a species of plant in the Asteraceae family.-References:*DC., Prodr. 6: 182 .*Mercè Galbany-Casals, Llorenç Sáez, Carles Benedí. . Conspectus of Helichrysum Mill. sect. Stoechadina Gren. & Godr. ...
- Helichrysum sanguineum : Red everlasting
The red everlasting is a flowering plant of the genus Helichrysum in the daisy family .It is a protected plant in some jurisdictions ....
- Helichrysum sarcodes
- Helichrysum saxatile
- Helichrysum saxatile ssp. errerae
- Helichrysum saxatile ssp. saxatile
- Helichrysum scitulum
- Helichrysum scutellifolium
- Helichrysum secundiflorum
- Helichrysum selaginoides
- Helichrysum semiamplexicaule
- Helichrysum semicalvum
- Helichrysum semifertile
- Helichrysum semipapposum
- Helichrysum setosum : Yellow Everlasting
- Helichrysum sibthorpii
- Helichrysum sonderi
- Helichrysum spiceri
- Helichrysum spiralepis
- Helichrysum splendidum : Cape Gold
- Helichrysum stellatum
- Helichrysum stipitatum
- Helichrysum stirlingii
- Helichrysum stoechas This is similar to the Helichrysum arenarium
Helichrysum arenarium is also known as dwarf everlast, and Immortelle -Description:An annual plant, it grows to be an average of 0.3 m tall....
species (Immortelle), but the leaves are all linear, with rolled under Edges. It is found in western france on dunes near the sea : Shrubby Everlasting
- Helichrysum stoechas ssp. barrelieri
- Helichrysum stoechas ssp. stoechas
- Helichrysum stoveae
- Helichrysum subulifolium
- Helichrysum sulcaticaule
- Helichrysum superbum
- Helichrysum sutherlandii
- Helichrysum tasmanicum
- Helichrysum teretifolium
- Helichrysum thianschanicum
- Helichrysum thomsonii
- Helichrysum trilineatum
- Helichrysum tuckeri
- Helichrysum turbinatum
- Helichrysum umbraculigerum
- Helichrysum vagans
- Helichrysum versicolor
- Helichrysum viscosum
- Helichrysum waitzioides
- Helichrysum whitei
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