Discovering the Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera daisy is the scientific name for this flower. The plant was named after German medical doctor and amateur botanist, Traugott Gerber, although he was not the explorer who originally discovered the flower. One source reports that a Dutch scientist named Jan Frederik Gronovius actually recorded notes on the daisy on a 1737 trip to South Africa. Others believe that the bloom was not recognized until much later, in 1889, when J.D. Hooker wrote about the flower in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine. Regardless, it was Gerber whose name became synonymous with this cute and sweet daisy flower.
Exploring plant-scientists like Grovonius and Hooker were drawn to the abundant floral life where Gerbera daisies naturally grow in the tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia. Other types of daisies were named after their native lands such as the Gerbera jamessonii, Transvaal daisy, and Barberton daisy. The Gerbera daisy itself is also sometimes called the African daisy. Gerbera daisies grow well in a wide variety of climates throughout the world, but may fail to thrive in frequent, heavy rainfall or extremely low temperatures.
The Gerbera daisy belongs to the Asteraceae family, which also includes other beloved flowers like sunflowers, daisy pom pons, and asters. Like its floral relatives, the Gerbera daisy has a striking, circular center that can either be black or yellow. Petals, or “rays,” extend out from the center to form a round flower. One interesting fact about the Gerbera daisy is that what appears as a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of flowers located in the bloom’s center, each with the ability to participate in reproduction. Gerbera daisies come in all shapes and sizes, and there are actually over 300 species of the plants, including hybrid plants.
Fresh Gerbera Daisy Arrangements
Gerbera daisies are a favorite flower of both florists and their customers. Did you know that Gerbera daisies are actually the 5th most used flower in fresh arrangements? They fall just behind roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, and tulips in this top-5 list. That means that Gerbera daisies are important to the local farming economies in places where they’re grown such as South Africa, Holland, and Canada. These small but mighty flowers have a big financial impact wherever they are sold to their adoring fans.
The flower has the meaning of beauty, innocence, and purity. And with many colors available, the different colors of Gerbera daisies often take on their own meaning based on their hue. The flower’s beauty and symbolic nature also makes it a popular choice for tattoo designs. Gerbera daisies have appeared in many works of art, including a famous print by Andy Warhol.
Gerbera daisies are usually found in shades of yellow, orange, white, pink, and red. Their meaning of innocence makes light pink or white gerber daisies a great addition to a gift for the parents of a new baby boy or girl. Children will equally love the pops of yellow or hot pink flowers in a dance recital or graduation wrapped bouquet. Those born in April should note that the Gerbera daisy is their birth-month flower. Send a vase full of a variety of colorful daisies with accents of solid aster to the April baby for his or her birthday. Anytime you wish to bring cheer to someone or express thanks, you can be sure that a flower arrangement with Gerbera daisies will add a little bit of happiness to your gift. Some varieties that compliment Gerbera daisies include: roses, carnations, alstroemeria, fever few daisies, solid asters, stock, and snapdragons.
