Gerbera

Plant Characteristics
Habit		herbaceous
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun, part-sun
Water:	◍	moist, moderate
Features:	✓	flowers, birds, bees, butterflys
Sunset Zones:		?
Flower features:	❀	red, orange, yellow, pink, white

Scientific Names
Asteraceae >	Gerbera >

Gerbera species bear a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colours. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera mini 'Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).

Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. The domesticated cultivars are mostly a result of a cross between Gerbera jamesonii and another South African species Gerbera viridifolia. The cross is known as Gerbera hybrida. Thousands of cultivars exist. They vary greatly in shape and size. Colours include white, yellow, orange, red, and pink. The centre of the flower is sometimes black. Often the same flower can have petals of several different colours.

Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip).^{[citation needed]} It is also used as a model organism in studying flower formation. Gerbera contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives.

Hairy, stemless herbs. Perennials which can be treated like annuals^RH. Leaves may spread or come up from a basal rosette, are entire to dentate (or rarely pinnately lobed), petiolate, and hairy underneath^RH.

Gerbera (pronounced /ˈdʒɜrbərə/ or Template:IPA-en) L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Gerbera is also commonly known as: African Daisy, Transvaal Daisy, and Barberton Daisy. The gerbera daisy, known as the ~Transvaal Daisy,~ originated in South Africa.

It has approximately 30 species in the wild, extending to South America, Africa and tropical Asia.

This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. This plant is resistant to deer.^[1]

Read about Gerbera in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Gerbera (named in honor of Traug. Gerber, a German naturalist who traveled in Russia). Compositae. A small group of temperate and tropical Asiatic and African perennial herbs grown for their yellow or pink or orange flower-heads. Stemless herbs with radical, petioled leaves which are entire or sometimes lobed: flower-heads solitary, many-flowered, the conspicuous rays in 1 or 2 rows, those of the inner row, when present, very short and sometimes tubular and 2-lipped, as are the disk-flowers.: achenes beaked.— There are 40 species, only one of which (G. jamesonii) is well known in Amer. and is sometimes found outside the collections of botanic gardens and fanciers. They should be grown in the temperate house, in a rich compost of sandy loam and peat. Propagation by seeds or by cuttings of side shoots. G. aurantiaca, Sch. A handsome plant with flowers 2 ½ inches diameter: florets red. with bright yellow anthers. Natal and the Transvaal. Has been listed under name of G. elsae. —G. cantabrigiensis, Hort. A garden hybrid between G. jamesonii and G. viridifolia. —G. viridifolia, Sch., is a little-known green-leaved plant with showy flowers that are white on the upper side, yellow beneath. S. Afr.—Well worth growing in temperate house. ^CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Most common are the G. jamesonii hybrids, with extremely long-lasting cut flowers^RH. The flowers come in a wide range of pastel and basic bright colors. In frost-free areas they overwinter safely outdoors^RH. In cold-winter areas, keep at 5-7°C (40-45°F) and keep just moist^RH.

Tip: Scald tip of stem when cutting flowers for vase to make them last longer^RH.