Gerbera spp.

Gerbera

About

The gerbera belongs to the family of daisies or Asteraceae. The flowering plant is originally from South Africa and grew among others in the Cape Province and Transvaal region.

Nowadays, the gerbera is still popular and extensively used as a decorative garden plant or sold as cut flower. Domesticated cultivars are usually the result of crossing the Gerbera jamesonii with another species from South Africa, the Gerbera viridifolia. The result is generally known as Gerbera hybrida and there are now many cultivars that differ greatly in size, shape and colour. The main colours are white, yellow, orange, red and pink, but one flower can have petals in varying colours. In addition, the gerbera is also used as a model organism with regards to botanical studies.