Helichrysum patulum is yet another everlasting given the Afrikaans common name of kooigoed (bedding material). The soft, woolly foliage and stems that also repel insects clearly deserve this name. Once a big shrub is found before dark, it need not take long to prepare a comfortable place to sleep in the veld. Do check underneath who else may have chosen to sleep there!

The frequently branched shrub grows into a rounded to sprawling shape, much wider than the 50 cm of its typical height.

The distribution of H. patulum is from the Cape Peninsula along the south coast to the southern Cape. The habitat is coastal scrubland on sandy flats and south-facing slopes (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005).