This small, rounded, soft aromatic shrublet has grey foliage with strongly honey-scented summer flowers. The tops of the leaves are grey and covered with small soft hairs, while the undersides and stems are densely covered with white woolly hairs. Its fragrant flowers attract pollinating insects, especially bees. It grows on sandy flats and coastal dunes, and inland on south-facing, lower mountain slopes of the southern Western Cape. Its yellow flowers are common to all Helichrysums, and give the genus its name  from the Greek helios ("sun") and chrysos ("gold"). The species name patulum means "spreading" or "wide open," referring to its growth habit.
 
FRAGRANCE
 
A unique, complex scent, soft mint and pepper up top, with warm notes of oud, citrus, and clove, settling into a rich, herbaceous honey base. Its grey, papery flowers carry a strong honey scent even before distillation, making this one of the more distinctive and sophisticated Helichrysum fragrances.