Pearly Everlasting

Botanical Name: Anaphalis
Common Name: Pearly everlasting
Family: Asteracea
Origin: Native to US
Comments: They dye very well
Habitat: Undisturbed open and brushy uplands, roadsides
Regions: Western Himalayas, China, Japan, India, Northern America. (Grow in cold mountainous regions.)

Pearly everlasting is an erect and rhizomatous plant. Leaves are elongated, alternate, narrow and untoothed. Stem is erect and covered with white hairs. Flowers borne in flat clusters of globular white, button like heads. They have pearly white, papery bracts with yellow to red flowers in the centers. They retain their color and texture when dried.

How are Anaphalis cultivated?
Anaphalis prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position. They require a moist soil. They succeed in growing in the shades of buildings but not of trees. Plants are hardy and the flowering stems can be dried and used as everlasting flowers. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. They are replanted when overcrowded, usually after 3-4 years. They have a rapid growth rate and require cold stratification. Foliage has a coarse texture and flowers are of brighter hues. They are dioecious plants.

Uses
Dried Anaphalis is a popular cultivated plant and does well in dried flower arrangement. The powdered form of dried Anaphalis is also used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments. The whole plant is anodyne, antiseptic, astringent, expectorant and sedative. They are used as a remedy for dysentery and pulmonary infections.