Gerbera


Common Names: Gerbera Daisy, Gerbera, South African Daisy, Barberton Daisy

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Subfamily: Mutisioideae

Genus: Gerbera


Gerbera is a member of the Asteraceae family and is a native of Africa, South America and Tropical Asia. This flower is named in the honor of naturalist Traugott Gerber. The flowers represent innocence, purity and cheerfulness. This is available in a wide range of colors from orange, yellow, pink, red, scarlet and a lot of other colors.


These are perennial flowering plants with attractive 2-lipped ray florets featured on a large capitulum. The capitulum has a cluster of several small flowers, which appear as a single flower. These flowers are very popular as garden decorations and also as cut flowers with the florists.


The gerbera flowers can be classified in four categories:
  1. Single Flowers: Most common variety of gerberas with a row of non-overlapping petals called as ray florets and green center called as disc florets.
  2. Duplex or double flowers: Consists of double rows of overlapping florets
  3. Full crested doubles: Consists of double rows of overlapping florets with an additional row of considerably shorter florets.
  4. crested doubles: Another variety with solid petals that overlap each other with an inner row.


Gerberas have a long vase life, which makes them ideal to be used as cut flowers. Besides this, they are not sensitive to light, which makes them suitable for use indoors.


How to Grow:


Gerberas are an ideal choice for the gardens because of the beautiful appearance of the plants as well as the flowers. This plant needs to be planted in properly moist soil that is rich in organic content. This is how you can plant your Gerbera plant:
  1. Sow the seeds in soil rich in organic content and place them at a place where the seeds can get a good amount of sunlight for germination.
  2. Keep the soil moist so that the seeds get proper amount of water. Do not make the soil damp by providing excess water.
  3. Once the seeds germinate, transfer the seedlings to larger pots or the garden. Make sure these are not kept in direct sunlight to save them from sunburns.
  4. Add fertilisers after every 5-6 months and keep watering it at regular intervals, though not too often during winters.


Propagation:


Gerberas can be propagated using the seeds, stem cuttings or by division method. For a better yield, use the propagation by stem or division method. Place them indoors in indirect sunlight for better growth.


Uses:


Gerbera is a very beautiful flower and because of its appearance it has several usages. It is a favorite of gardeners and is widely used in garden flower beds. Also, people tend to keep them indoors as they are not affected by the lack of sunlight.
This is also used as an ornamental flower because of its long shelf life as a cut flower. It is used in decorations and also gifted in the form of bouquets.

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