helichrysum

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A large genus of composite plants, of the tribe Inuloideæ, characterized by its commonly yellow flowers, naked receptacle, setose pappus, very conspicuous colored and petaloid involucre, and generally alternate entire leaves. The genus embraces about 270 species of herbaceous or shrubby plants, natives of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. The parts of the flower persist after drying, which has gained for these plants the name of everlasting or immortelles, and they are in common use in funeral wreaths, crosses, etc. Among the commoner species in cultivation are H. lucidum, H. angustifolium, and H. odoratissimum, H. apiculatum affords herbage in the worst deserts of Australia. H. serpyllifolium of South Africa is known as Hottentot's tea, and H. nudifolium, from the same region, is called Kafir-tea.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of the genus Helichrysum of plants related to the sunflower.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Bot.) A genus of composite plants, with shining, commonly white or yellow, or sometimes reddish, radiated involucres, which are often called “everlasting flowers.”

WordNet 3.0

1. n. large genus of mostly African and Australian herbs and shrubs: everlasting flowers; in some classifications includes genus Ozothamnus