Helichrysum angustifolium

Helichrysum angustifolium (a synonym of Helichrysum italicum), the curry plant, is an aromatic evergreen subshrub in the family Asteraceae native to the Mediterranean region. It forms a dense, woody-based mound of slender, white-felted stems clothed in narrow, linear, silvery-grey leaves that release a strong curry-like scent when bruised. In summer the plant bears dense, flat-topped clusters of small, globular flower heads composed entirely of golden-yellow tubular florets enclosed in dry, papery, glistening bracts that retain their colour when dried, giving the everlasting flowers their lasting appeal. The fruit is a tiny achene with a pappus of fine bristles. The species grows on dry, rocky and sandy ground, garrigue, coastal slopes and open sunny sites throughout the Mediterranean basin, thriving in poor, well-drained soils.