Helichrysum odoratissimum

Helichrysum odoratissimum, commonly known in Afrikaans as kooigoed (bedding), a name shared with several other soft-leaf helichrysums, and imphepho in Zulu, is a rounded to straggling shrublet growing many soft branches tangled to about 60 cm in height. The plant is aromatic as the specific name indicates.

This name should not be confused with kougoed which means something to chew and serves as the common name for at least another two indigenous plants described in this website. They are Sceletium tortuosum, now known as Mesembryanthemum tortuosum and Augea capensis, sometimes called kinderkougoed or elandslaai.

The distribution of Helichrysum odoratissimum is large, ranging from the Gifberg in the Western Cape, to the Eastern Cape, the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, and far into tropical Africa.

The habitat is grassy and rocky slopes across big parts of the summer rainfall region. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The uses of kooigoed include bedding material as the name suggests, as it is comfortably soft and doubles as an insect repellent. It is also used for inhalation of the smoke as a sedative, in preparing a perfumed ointment, and in the treatment of insomnia. Also widely known and used in several more African countries, including Kenya and Zimbabwe where it is common. Several helichrysums called imphepho serve in purifying cultural rituals (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).