Gerbera Daisy

Genus: Gerbera jamesonii

The gerbera daisy is a gorgeous showy flower that has become a worldwide favorite, even though it has only recently been cultivated outside its original homes of South Africa, South America, and tropical Asia. While South Africans had long been familiar with the gerbera daisy's beauty, in 1880, a Scotsman named Robert Jameson discovered the flower while operating a gold mine in the Transvaal area. He donated plants to the Durban Botanical Gardens and from there specimens were sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in England.

Gerberas made their way to North America in the early 1920s and were more extensively bred during the 1970s at the University of California at Davis. While California and Florida are the leading states in producing cut flowers in the US, the majority of cut gerberas come from Colombia and other countries in South America, as well as the Netherlands.

There are currently 250 different varieties of gerbera daisy grown in California. The Gerbera's main attraction by far is its brilliant, fascinating hues of red, fuchsia, peach, orange, pale pink, yellow, orange, ivory and many more. Beyond these solid saturated colors, there are also bi-color and tri-color varieties such as the orange and yellow "Fireball" and the pink and white "Picasso" which add drama to a mixed bouquet. Gerberas make hardy cut flowers, lasting seven to ten days.