Gerbera Flowers

Gerbera Flowers In Different Colours. See Images, Read Facts

Name : Gerbera Flowers
Latin Name : Genus: Gerbera, (G. jamesonii x G. viridifolia)
Gerbera Description

Gerbera is a genus comprising of 30 wild species of ornamental plants from the family of Daisies, sunflowers and Asters: the Asteraceae Family. Gerberas are native to South America, Africa and tropical Asia. The Gerbera flower was first introduced to Europe in the 19th century.

Common names for the enchanting Gerbera flower include Gerbera Daisies, Transvaal Daisy, African Daisy, Barberton Daisy, and Rooigousblom (in South Africa).

Gerberas are large, disc-shaped perennial flowers 2-5 inches across borne on long, fuzzy, leafless stems. Gerbera flowers have a beautiful satin sheen and different varieties are available in standard and micro sizes and spider forms are also available. Gerberas bear a large capitulum with brightly coloured, eye-catching, two-lipped ray florets. Although the capitulum appears to be a single flower, it is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. Their center is sometimes coloured or black.

Gerbias are available in vibrant shades of red, yellow, orange, white and pink. Usually the same flower can have petals of several different colours.

Gerberas come in various forms and can be broadly categorized into four groups:

Single Flowers with a row of non-overlapping petals and a green center. These are the most common type of gerberas available in the market.
Double or Duplex Flowers have a double row of overlapping petals with a green, black, or dark red center.
Crested double Flowers contain two rows of overlapping petals with one or more inner rows of shorter petals and a green, black, or dark red center.
Full crested double Flowers have solid overlapping rows of petals with an inner row diminishing in size that entirely covers the center.
Gerberas can be propagated from seeds, basal cuttings, or crown divisions in spring or early summer. Gerberas thrive in full to partial shade and require a well drained soil. Gerberas flowers are available year-round from domestic and international sources.

Gerbera is an extremely popular decorative garden plant which adds splashes of radiant colour to your garden. Gerberas are known to attract bees, butterflies and birds and is also deer resistant. Gerberas are ideal for landscaping as bedding plants, for borders and flower beds.

Gerberas are the third most popular cut flowers next only to Carnations and Roses. Gerbera is an exquisite versatile bloom that is often used as a mass flower in arrangements and can be used to create a retro 60's look. Gerberas have a vase life of 4-14 days.

The most common varieties of Gerbera are hybrids of Gerbera jamesonii and G. viridifolia.

Gerbera Meaning

Due to their bright colours and innocent beauty, gerbera daisies have become a favourite choice for expressing Cheerful Sentiments. This lovely flower symbolizes Beauty, Purity, and Innocence.

Gerbera Mythology

Gerbera was named in the honour of the German naturalist Traugott Gerber, a friend of Carolus Linnaeus, whereas the species G. jamesonii was named after Robert Jameson, a Scotsman, who ran a gold mine near Barberton in Transvaal, South Africa. He collected live specimens of this flower in the Barberton district in 1884.