Xerochrysum bracteatum, Helichrysum bracteatum, Bracteantha bracteata

Xerochrysum bracteatum - excellent in dried arrangements, strawflower is also pretty in the garden. It grows as a woody or herbaceous perennial or annual shrub up to a metre (3 ft) tall with green or grey leafy foliage. Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals.

Xerochrysum bracteatum has proven very adaptable to cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available.

Similar plants:

• Helichrysum sp. (Strawflower, Immortelle, Helichrysum)
• Ozothamnus diosmifolius, Helichrysum diosmifolium (Rice Flower, White Dogwood, Pill Flower, Sago Bush )