About Ozothamnus alpinus (N.A.Wakef.) Anderb.
Ozothamnus alpinus, commonly known as alpine everlasting, typically grows 0.75 to 1 metre (2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet 3 inches) tall. Its branches are densely covered in short, matted yellow hairs that fade to grey as the branches age. Leaves spread outward, are crowded along the stem, and are oblong in shape. They measure 4 to 10 mm (0.16 to 0.39 in) long, 2 to 3 mm (0.079 to 0.118 in) wide, and sit on a 1 to 2 mm (0.039 to 0.079 in) long petiole. Leaf margins are either flat or slightly curved under, and the leaf apex is rounded. The upper leaf surface is green and smooth, while the lower surface is yellowish and covered with long, stiff, shiny, simple furry hairs. This species produces inflorescences made of small, dense clusters of 25 to 60 white to yellowish flowers. The entire flower cluster is 18 to 24 mm (0.71 to 0.94 in) in diameter, and individual flowers measure 5 to 6.5 mm (0.20 to 0.26 in) long and 1.5 to 2 mm (0.059 to 0.079 in) wide. The 15 to 19 pink or red outer bracts are distinctly visible when the flowers are in bud. Flowering takes place from February to March. The fruit is a cylindrically shaped cypsela, 1 to 1.5 mm (0.039 to 0.059 in) long, that tapers at the apex. This plant is distributed from the Mount Kosciuszko area southward, growing on the edges of wet alpine heath or in bogs.
