Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Gnaphalieae
Genus: Helichrysum
Species: Helichrysum selago
Common name: Mountain helichrysum, Straw flower
Helichrysum selago is a much-branched shrub which grows up to 30 cm high. The tiny appressed adult green leaves are 3-4 mm long.
It has small creamy white 6-7 mm wide flowers heads at the branch ends in summer. Helichrysum selago is naturally found in rocky places, up to 1600 meters in the dry montane to subalpine places throughout the South Island, New Zealand.
Photographed at Te Kainga Marire Gardens at Spencer Place, late January
Close up of branches and the appressed shiny backs of the tiny leaves
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
