Helichrysum sanguineum


Helichrysum sanguineum Kostel, known in English as Red Everlasting and Red cudweed is a flowering plant of the genus Helichrysum in the daisy family. It grows in mountain forests in the Levant where it blooms in April-June.
H. sanguineum is a protected plant in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The flower, named in modern Hebrew "Blood of the Maccabees", has become the icon of Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism.

Name

Scientific name

Helichrysum sanguineum :de:Vincenz Franz Kostelecky|Kostel is not to be mistaken for Helichrysum sanguineum Boiss. = Gnaphalium sanguineum L., which is known in English as sowbread or cyclamen.

Arabic

In Arabic, the flower is known as "دم المسيح", meaning "blood of the Messiah"/"Blood of Christ".

Israel (Modern Hebrew)

In Israel, it is known as "Blood of the Maccabees". The name is derived from a legend saying that in every spot where the flower grows, a drop of blood has spilled on the earth. Since 2019, the non-profit organization Dam HaMaccabim has been distributing pins with the Red Everlasting flower throughout Israel.

Distribution

The plant grows in the Levant, including: western Syria, the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon and Mount Lebanon up to an altitude of 1000 m, on the Golan Heights, in most of the northern and central part of Israel and the West Bank, and the mouintainous Gilead region in Jordan.