The

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Helichrysum'' consists of an estimated 600 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the sunflower family (

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

). The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is '' Helichrysum orientale''. They often go by the names everlasting, immortelle, and strawflower. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (helios, sun) and (, gold). It occurs in Africa (with 244 species in South Africa), Madagascar, Australasia and Eurasia. The plants may be annuals, herbaceous perennials or

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s, growing to a height of . The genus was a

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by e ...

, and many of its members have been reclassified in smaller genera, most notably the Everlastings, now in the genus '' Xerochrysum''. Their

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

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 capitula and generally flat-topped corymbs or

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s. The corolla lobes show glandular hairs at the abaxial surface. ''Helichrysum'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including the bucculaticid leaf-miners ''Bucculatrix gnaphaliella'' (which feeds exclusively on ''Helichrysum arenarium'') and ''Bucculatrix helichrysella'' (feeds exclusively on ''H. italicum'') and the ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors have t ...

'' case-bearers ''C. caelebipennella'', ''C. gnaphalii'' (feeds exclusively on ''H arenarium'') and ''C. helichrysiella'' (feeds exclusively on ''H. italicum'').

Species

Hilliard (1983) divided this large and heterogeneous genus in 30 morphological groups. But the genus remains controversial and is considered by many to be an artificial genus. The taxonomy of this large polymorphic and probably

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

genus is complex and not yet satisfactorily resolved. Several Australian species, such as ''H. acuminatum'' and ''H. bracteatum'', have been reclassified in the genus '' Xerochrysum'' in 1991, resp. as ''X. subundulatum'' and ''X. bracteatum''. In 1989, misaligned species of ''Helichrysum'' were reclassified in '' Syncarpha''. Species included in '' Pseudognaphalium'', '' Anaphalis'', '' Achyrocline'' and '' Humeocline'' are probably congeneric with ''Helichrysum''. Australian species have also been reclassified to the genus '' Chrysocephalum'', including '' Chrysocephalum semipapposum'' and '' Chrysocephalum apiculatum''.

Uses

Several species are grown as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s, and for dried flowers. When cut young and dried, the open flowers and stalks preserve their colour and shape for long periods. '' Helichrysum italicum'' (synonym ''Helichrysum angustifolium'') is steam distilled to produce a yellow-reddish

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

popular in fragrance for its unique scent, best described as herbaceous, sweet, and honey-like. The epithet ''angustifolium'' means narrow leaved. It is commonly misspelled as ''augustifolium''.http://www.floralimages.co.uk/info/botanicallatin.html for more details on botanical naming.

Gallery

File:Helichrysum moeserianum 2.jpg, '' Helichrysum moeserianum'' in De Hoop N.R., South Africa File:Helichrysum orientale 2.JPG, '' Helichrysum orientale'' File:Starr 070621-7414 Helichrysum petiolare.jpg, '' Helichrysum petiolare'', Licorice Plant File:Strawflower.jpg, '' Helichrysum roseo-niveum'' in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

File:Helichrysum setosum.jpg, '' Helichrysum setosum'' File:Helichrysumthianschanicumicicles.jpg, '' Helichrysum thianschanicum'' 'Icicles' on display at the San Diego County Fair, CA, USA File:Starr 080117-2067 Helichrysum thianschanicum.jpg, '' Helichrysum thianschanicum'' (Icicles leaves) at nursery on Maui File:Helichrysum umbraculigerum.jpg, '' Helichrysum umbraculigerum''

References

External links

* *
Xeranthemum annuum
photo

Helichrysum Essential Oil species

PHYLOGENY OF SOUTH AFRICAN GNAPHALIEAE (ASTERACEAE)

* {{Authority control Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller

Species

Uses

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links