This fast-growing, abundant evergreen shrub has grey, woolly foliage and narrow leaves, found throughout South Africa on rocky slopes, mountain tops, and in gullies. Its yellow flowers are common to all Helichrysums, giving the genus its name — from the Greek helios ("sun") and chrysos ("gold") — though the Splendidum variety is distinctive for its papery-textured blooms. Cape Gold is an important plant in local tradition, where the smoke from the dried plant is used in ritual to invoke trance states and connect with the ancestors.
 
FRAGRANCE
 
Warm and herbaceous, with a distinctive fynbos character — dry, resinous top notes giving way to a soft, honeyed sweetness underneath. Earthy and grounding, reminiscent of sun-warmed Cape hillsides.