Perennial sub-shrub of the Asteraceae family, Helichrysum italicum is widely spread around the Mediterranean basin, from Portugal to Greece and as far as North Africa. It colonizes garrigues, maquis, limestone rockeries, and sunny wastelands, on poor, dry, and very well-drained substrates, from sea level to medium altitudes.
It forms a rounded and vigorous bush, reaching 80 to 100 cm in height with a comparable spread, with woody stems at the base and densely leafy. The leaves are narrow, linear, with a characteristic silver-grey, covered with a whitish felt that gives them their hue and downy texture. This persistent foliage is already very present outside of flowering, and especially remarkable for its intense curry fragrance, released at the slightest touch, leaving no doubt about the plant's identity.
The capitula are small, bright yellow and straw-colored, grouped in dense and compact corymbs at the top of the stems. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from June to August. In cultivation, it occurs roughly at the same dates.
It thrives in full sun, in poor, stony, and perfectly drained soil. It tolerates summer drought well and calcareous soils. Hardy to about -10°C in dry soil, it suffers more from winter humidity than from cold. A light pruning after flowering helps to contain its development and maintain a dense habit.