Helichrysum italicum seed

LATIN NAME: Helichrysum italicum

COMMON NAME: Curry Plant

Brush past the curry plant on a warm afternoon and the air fills with the warm, spicy scent of curry, though the plant is no curry plant at all in the kitchen sense. The curry plant grows as a small, rounded, silvery-grey, aromatic sub-shrub, reaching up to fifty or sixty centimetres, with the narrow, linear, silver-hairy leaves held close along the slender stems and, through the summer, the small, dense heads of the bright yellow, papery flowers carried in the flat clusters at the tips. The whole plant glows silver in the sun, and its fine, spicy scent carries on the warm air. It is a plant of the dry, rocky hills of the Mediterranean, and it is known as the curry plant.

The curry plant belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is a small, rounded, silvery-grey, aromatic sub-shrub of the dry, rocky hills of the Mediterranean. Its narrow, silver-hairy leaves and its bright yellow, papery flowers are its great show. It is known as the curry plant, and it is treasured for its silver foliage and its spicy scent.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The curry plant has been studied for its aromatic leaves and its place among the relatives of the everlastings, and the plant keeps showing up in the accounts of the aromatic and the silvery plants of the dry garden. Researchers have looked at the narrow, silver-hairy leaves and the oils that give them their warm, spicy scent, and botanists have examined the bright yellow, papery flowers that hold their colour when they are dried. The plant has been looked at for its place in the old practice of the Mediterranean, and its tough, dry-loving ways have been of interest in the garden. For a plant of the dry garden with such a silver and spicy show, the curry plant has a steady and growing record of study.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

For the dry, sunny garden, the curry plant is a fine, silver, aromatic plant. Its narrow, silver-hairy leaves glow in the sun through the year, and the small, dense heads of the bright yellow, papery flowers open through the summer and hold their colour when they are dried. The warm, spicy scent of the leaves carries on the warm air, and the plant makes a fine, neat, silver edging to the border and the dry bank. In the old practice of the region the plant has long been a familiar, and its dried flowers have been used in the small arrangements. For a gardener of the dry, sunny garden who wants a silver plant with a fine scent, the curry plant is a fine choice.

The curry plant is a familiar of the dry, rocky hills of the Mediterranean, where it grows in the thin, stony ground with the other aromatic and silvery plants of the region. In the garden it makes a fine, neat, silver edging to the border and the dry bank, and the narrow, silver-hairy leaves glow in the sun through the year. The bright yellow, papery flowers open through the summer and hold their colour when they are dried, and the warm, spicy scent of the leaves carries on the warm air. The dried flowers have long been used in the small arrangements, and the plant is a tough, easy grower of the dry, sunny ground.

Scatter the fine seeds over the surface of pots of gritty, free-draining soil and cover them very lightly with a little fine grit, keep the pots in a bright, warm, open spot and water them sparingly, and the first green seedlings will be along before long.

Immortelle (Helichrysum italicum)

Helichrysum italicum is a small perennial shrubby herb with narrow, silver-hairy leaves and small, yellow dry (straw -like) flowers. The flowers are a cluster of golden yellow ball shaped blossoms, the leaves are delicate and oblong, which when crushed release a distinct aroma. It is a wonderful plant to grow in the garden, for both its curry aroma and simple beauty. The aroma of the essential oil has been exquisitely described by Holmes (n/d), as being: a deeply-saturated sweet, green floral scent. The name Immortelle or Everlasting comes about for this plant as it retains its yellow color even when dried.

It grows on dry, rocky or sandy ground around the Mediterranean. The stems are woody at the base and can reach 60 centimetres (24 in) or more in height. The clusters of yellow flowers are produced in summer, they retain their colour after picking and are used in dried flower arrangements.The clusters of yellow flowers are produced in summer, they retain their colour after picking and are used in dried flower arrangements.

The plant produces an oil from its blossoms which is used for medicinal purposes. It is anti-inflammatory, fungicidal, and astringent. It soothes burns and raw chapped skin. It is used as a fixative in perfumes and has an intense aroma.