by Dorene Petersen, RH (AHG)
The plant commonly called “immortelle” has another, more historic and enchanting name: helichrysum. The word “helichrysum” draws its roots from the Greek helios, meaning “sun,” and chryos, meaning “gold.” So the “sun gold” plant was named for its vibrant golden flower, but also because the ball-shaped blossoms do not wither. First-century Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder said the small golden flower was used for crowning the gods:
It has small white branches, with leaves of a whitish colour, and the flowers, which grow in clusters, glisten like the gold in the rays of the sun. They are never known to fade, hence it is that they make chaplets of it for the gods, a custom which is most faithfully observed by Ptolemy, the King of Egypt (Newberry 430-431).
In the language of flowers, Helichrysum spp. (immortelle) symbolizes eternal or endless love (Seaton 180). Both ethereal uses speak to the power and prestige of this plant, which has also been praised by herbalists for centuries.