Getting started with kooigoed

Kooigoed is an ndigenous plant is grown for its foliage and as groundcover in mild or coastal areas where temperatures don't fall below freezing for extended periods. It can be used for medicinal purposes.

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Helichrysum petiolare, commonly known as kooigoed or silver bush everlasting, is a flowering evergreen shrub that grows about 25cm high and has furry, grey-green leaves and small white flowers. It is is native to South Africa, where it is found in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the KwaZuluNatal Midlands, the north-eastern Free State, the Cape Drakensberg and the coastal areas of the Eastern Cape.

H. petiolare is also sometimes called the liquorice plant, as its leaves have a faint liquorice scent. However, it is not closely related to the true liquorice plant of Europe and Asia, Glycyrrhiza glabra, which is used as a herbal medicine and food flavourant.

The Afrikaans name kooigoed reflects its traditional use as bedding material for livestock.