''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of plants in the

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

(Compositae) family. The first scientific description of a ''Gerbera'' was made by

J. D. Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

Curtis's Botanical Magazine ''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. Each of the issue ...

in 1889 when he described ''

Gerbera jamesonii ''Gerbera jamesonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Gerbera'' belonging to the basal Mutisieae tribe within the large Asteraceae (or Compositae) family. It is indigenous to South Eastern Africa and commonly known as the Barberton ...

'', a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n species also known as ''

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

daisy'' or ''Barberton daisy''. Gerbera is also commonly known as the African daisy.

Etymology

The genus was named in honour of German botanist and medical doctor (1710–1743), who travelled extensively in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and was a friend of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

Description

''Gerbera'' species are tufted,

caulescent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

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

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

eate or ebracteate, simple, one-headed inflorescence-

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

. Capitula are radiate, with several rows of bracts. Ray

floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

s 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 ''Chaptalia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. ''Chaptalia'' is native primarily to Mesoamerica, South America, and the West Indies, with a few species in the United States The United States of America (USA), also ...

'', ''

Leibnitzia ''Leibnitzia'' (sunbonnets) is a genus of Asian and North American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus is named for Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), German scientist and mathematician ; Species Mairia ''Mairia'' is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants assigned to the family Asteraceae. All species have leathery, entire or toothed leaves in rosettes, directly from the underground rootstock, and one or few flower heads sit at the top of the s ...

'', ''

Perdicium ''Perdicium'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Mutisieae within the family Asteraceae. It includes two species native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. ; Species Trichocline ''Trichocline'' is a genus of Australian and South American plants in the tribe Mutisieae within the family Asteraceae. It consists of one species from Australia ''(T. spathulata)'' and twenty-three from South America. Its closest relatives are ...

'', and ''

Oreoseris ''Oreoseris'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Anatolia, Central Asia, the Himalaya region, and Thailand. Originally described in 1838, it was resurrected with the Asian species of ''Gerbera'' and all the species ...

''. In accordance with

International Plant Names Index The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) describes itself as "a database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details of seed plants, ferns and lycophytes." Coverage of plant names is best at the rank of species and genus. It inclu ...

genus ''Gerbera'' includes 22 accepted species:

Section ''Gerbera''

* ''

Gerbera crocea ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sou ...

'' Kuntze — Dialstee * ''

Gerbera grandis ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sou ...

J.C.Manning John Charles Manning (born 1962) is a South African botanist based in the Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is an organisation tasked with research an ...

& Simka * '' Gerbera linnaei''

Cass. Viscount Alexandre Henri Gabriel (vicomte) de Cassini (9 May 1781 – 23 April 1832) was a French botanist and naturalist, who specialised in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) (then known as family Compositae). He was the youngest of five childre ...

— Varingblom * '' Gerbera ovata'' J.C.Manning & Simka * '' Gerbera serrata'' Druce * ''

Gerbera tomentosa ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sou ...

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

* '' Gerbera wrightii'' Harv.

Section ''Lasiopus'' (Cass.) Sch.Bip.

* '' Gerbera ambigua'' Sch.Bip. * '' Gerbera aurantiaca'' Sch.Bip. — Hilton daisy * ''

Gerbera galpinii ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sou ...

Klatt Klatt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Klatt, former Canadian internet service provider * Bill Klatt (1947–2011), retired professional ice hockey player * Dennis H. Klatt, (1938–1988), American researcher in spee ...

— Galpin's gerbera * ''

'' Bolus — Barberton daisy, Gerbera daisy, Transvaal daisy * ''

Gerbera sylvicola ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sout ...

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

, N.R.Crouch & T.J.Edwards * ''

Gerbera viridifolia ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sout ...

'' (DC.) Sch.Bip. — Pink gerbera

Section ''Pseudoseris'' (Baill.) Jeffr.

* '' Gerbera bojeri'' Sch.Bip. — Bojer's gerbera * ''

Gerbera diversifolia ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sout ...

Humbert Humbert, Umbert or Humberto (Latinized ''Humbertus'') is a Germanic given name, from ''hun'' "warrior" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also came into use as a surname. Given name ;Royalty and Middle Ages * Emebert (died 710) * Humbert of Maroilles ...

* '' Gerbera elliptica'' Humbert * '' Gerbera emirnensis''

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

* '' Gerbera hypochaeridoides'' Baker * '' Gerbera leandrii'' Humbert * ''

Gerbera perrieri ''Gerbera'' ( or ) L. 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 Sout ...

'' Humbert * '' Gerbera petasitifolia'' Humbert

Section ''Parva'' H.V.Hansen

* '' Gerbera parva''

N.E.Br. Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents. He was also an authority on several families of plants, including Asclepiadaceae, ...

File:Gerbera viridifolia 1DS-II 3-0777.jpg, ''Gerbera viridifolia'' File:Gerbera jamesonii (Asteraceae).jpg, ''

'' 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 Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It was introduced into countries of

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Uses

''Gerbera'' is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as

cut flowers Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...

. The domesticated cultivars are mostly a result of a cross between ''

'' and another

n species ''

''. The cross is known as ''Gerbera × hybrida''. Thousands of

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s 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

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s 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 A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' ( ), commonly known as carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region. Its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,00 ...

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

, and

tulip Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different colour ...

). It is also used as a

model organism A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Mo ...

in studying flower formation. ''Gerbera'' contains naturally occurring

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring , forming a second six-me ...

derivatives. It is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds, but resistant to deer. Small ones are called gerbrinis.

References

Sources

* 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), . * Nesom, G .L. 2004. Response to "The ''Gerbera'' complex (Asteraceae, Mutisieae): to split or not to split" by Liliana Katinas. ''Sida'' 21:941–942. * Bremer K. 1994: ''Asteraceae: cladistics and classification''. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon.

External links

Gerbera.org
��official website of the Gerbera Association—established in Barberton, South Africa

Germany (German) {{Authority control Asteraceae genera Garden plants Mutisieae