Helichrysum sanguineum, known in English as red everlasting and red cudweed, is a flowering plant of the genus Helichrysum in the family Asteraceae. It grows in mountain forests in the Levant where it blooms in April–June.helichrysum sanguineum - Red everlasting , Royal Botanic Garden, Jordan. Accessed April 2020. The flower, known in Hebrew as "Blood of the Maccabees"
Name Helichrysum sanguineum (L.) Kostel is not to be mistaken for Helichrysum sanguineum Boiss. = Gnaphalium sanguineum L., which is known in English as sowbreadCrawford H. Greenewalt, jr., Lydian Cosmetics, Sardis Expedition: Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, accessed April 2020 or cyclamen.
In Arabic, the flower is known as "دم المسيح" (dam al-Massiah), meaning "blood of the Messiah".
In Hebrew, it is known as "blood of the Maccabees" (, dam hamakabim). 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.Flowers in Israel
History The Hebrew name Dam hamakabim was coined by the botanist Ephraim Hareuveni in 1917. The symbolic connection to Israeli war casualties first appeared in a poem by Haim Gouri written in memory of 35 Palmach comrades killed in January 1948.How a Wildflower Became a Symbol for Israel’s Memorial Day Since 2019, the non-profit organization Dam HaMaccabim has been distributing pins with the flower throughout Israel.Yaafa Abadi, "The Dam HaMaccabim Project Blossoms In Time For Yom Hazikaron", The Jerusalem PostMordechai Sones, "Red Everlasting: 'Blood of the Maccabees' flower sticker comes to life", Arutz Sheva
Distribution The plant grows in the Levant, including: western Syria,Helichrysum sanguineum (L.) Kostel, JSTOR Global Plants, accessesd April 2020 the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon and Mount Lebanon up to an altitude of 1000 m,Helichrysum sanguineum (L.) Kostel, Lebanon FLORA, accessesd April 2020 on the Golan Heights, in most of the northern and central part of Israel and the West Bank (Upper and Lower Galilee, around the Sea of Galilee, on Mount Carmel and the Coastal Plain south of it, Mount Gilboa, the northern part of the Jordan Valley, Samaria, the Judaean Mountains and the Shefela), and the mountainous Gilead region in JordanHelichrysum sanguineum (L.) Kostel, Flowers of Israel Online, Prof. Avinoam Danin, accessesd April 2020 (the areas of Jerash and Dibeen, Ajloun, and Al-Salt).
In Israel, Helichrysum sanguineum is an endangered species.
See also Wildlife in Israel Flora of Lebanon
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