Gerberas Flower

The gerbera, with its ornamental, large flower heads and its hardiness, is the fifth most popular cut flower in the world. White gerberas are often used to symbolise purity and innocence, and ruby red and hot pink gerberas are popular choices throughout the Summer. The gerbera was discovered in 1884 near Barberton, South Africa, by Scotsman Robert Jameson, but the flower is actually named after the German naturalist Traugott Gerber. The gerbera, closely associated with the daisy, often symbolises purity, innocence and beauty, and due to the vibrant colours of the gerbera it is often connected to happiness and cheer

With approximately 30 species in the wild, extending to South America, Africa and tropical Asia, the gerbera is a striking flower, closely resembling daisies and sunflowers, and thousands of cultivars of the gerbera exist worldwide.Gerbera species are available in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colours, the centre of the flower is sometimes black, and often petals of the same flower can have several different colours, making this flower a bright, happy addition to any bouquet.

The Gerbera is often used as a model organism when studying flower formation.The gerbera has a large capitulum, which is a type of flower head where the bracts are located under the basis.The capitulum of the gerbera has the appearance of a single flower but is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers.