Gerbera ( or ) Carl Linnaeus is a genus of plants in the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J. D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a species also known as Transvaal daisy daisy or Barberton daisy. Gerbera is also commonly known as the African daisy.
There are also different colors of gerberas.
Etymology
The genus was named in honour of German botanist and medical doctor (1710–1743),
who travelled extensively in
Imperial Russia and was a friend of
Carl Linnaeus.
[ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607]
Description
Gerbera species are tufted, caulescent,
Perennial plant herbs, often with woolly crown, up to 80 cm high. Leaves are all in rosette, elliptical with entire or toothed margin or lobed, petiolate or with a petaloid base, pinnately veined, often leathery and felted beneath. Single to several flowering stems from each rosette bear
or ebracteate, simple, one-headed inflorescence-capitulum. Capitula are radiate, with several rows of bracts. Ray
are female, 2-lipped, the outer lip is large and strap-shaped, inner lip consists of two small, thread-like lobes of white, pink or red, rarely yellow colour. Disc florets are fertile, five-lobed and irregularly 2-lipped with curled petals.
Species
Formerly included numerous species once considered members of
Gerbera are now placed in other genera:
Chaptalia,
Leibnitzia,
Mairia,
Perdicium,
Trichocline, and
Oreoseris.
In accordance with International Plant Names Index genus Gerbera includes 22 accepted species:
Section Gerbera
Section Lasiopus (Cass.) Sch.Bip.
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Gerbera ambigua Sch.Bip.
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Gerbera aurantiaca Sch.Bip. — Hilton daisy
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Gerbera galpinii Klatt — Galpin's gerbera
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Gerbera jamesonii Harry Bolus — Barberton daisy, Gerbera daisy, Transvaal daisy
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Gerbera sylvicola Johnson, N.R.Crouch & T.J.Edwards
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Gerbera viridifolia (DC.) Sch.Bip. — Pink gerbera
Section Pseudoseris (Baill.) Jeffr.
Section Parva H.V.Hansen
File:Gerbera viridifolia 1DS-II 3-0777.jpg| Gerbera viridifolia
File:Gerbera jamesonii (Asteraceae).jpg| Gerbera jamesonii
File:Gerbera ambigua.jpg| Gerbera ambigua
File:Hilton Daisy.jpg| Gerbera aurantiaca
File:Gerbera wrightii 1DS-II 2-4140.jpg| Gerbera wrightii
File:Gerbera × hybrida 01.JPG| Gerbera × hybrida
File:Orange Gerbera growing in a pot in Calcutta.jpg| Gerbera × hybrida
File:Gerbera daisy orange002.jpg| Gerbera × hybrida
Distribution
Gerbera is native to tropical regions of
Africa. It was introduced into countries of
Latin America and
Southeast Asia.
Uses
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
species
Gerbera viridifolia.
The cross is known as
Gerbera × hybrida. Thousands of
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
of several different colours. The flower-heads (capitula) can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera 'mini Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).
Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip). It is also used as a model organism in studying Flower.
Gerbera contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives. It is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds, but resistant to deer. Small ones are called gerbrinis.
Sources
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Hansen, Hans V. A taxonomic revision of the genus Gerbera (Compositae, Mutisieae) sections Gerbera, Parva, Piloselloides (in Africa), and Lasiopus (Opera botanica. No. 78; 1985), .
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Nesom, G .L. 2004. Response to "The Gerbera complex (Asteraceae, Mutisieae): to split or not to split" by Liliana Katinas. Sida 21:941–942.
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Bremer K. 1994: Asteraceae: cladistics and classification. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon.
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