Helichrysum caespititium (DC.) Sond. ex Harv. & Sond.

caespititium: from caespitose, very much tufted, matted, referring to the cushion-forming growth habit.

Densely tufted, low prostrate perennial herb. Leaves densely crowded along the stems, 6-10 mm long, linear, clasping at the base, woolly on both sides, orange gland-dotted; margin rolled under. Capitula in tight terminal clusters, usually less than 1 cm in diameter. Involucral bracts c. 6-seriate; outer bracts leaf-like, up to 3(-5) mm long, linear, embedded in a woolly mass; inner bracts c. 3 mm long, narrowly oblong, colourless or pinkish. Florets yellow, tipped with pink. See H. asperum for comparison.

Locally frequent

Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa as far as the Eastern Cape.