Gerbera

      A spring flower originating from tropical regions such as the southern American continent, Africa and part of the tropical Asia, the Gerbera is considered to be amongst the classic symbols of beauty, purity and innocence. A delicate and beautiful flower, the Gerbera belongs to the Asteraceae family and has reached a certain level of notoriety, which in a way validates its beauty. The Gerbera is nowadays the fifth most cultivated and commercially distributed flower, competing with species like the roses or the orchids.

      Similar in appearance with the sun-flower, Gerbera is famous for its unique simplicity and its vivid colors. The name of Gerbera comes from the famous botanic researcher Traugott Gerber, a name given as a tribute to his efforts and dedication towards plants and flowers. He dedicated his studies to the discovery of new species and his research contributed to today’s botanical classification on flowers and botanical species.

      With flowers measuring 7 to 12 cm in diameter, the Gerbera is composed of a leafless stem, the flowering part residing at its top. This flower provides the strongest of colors and its simplicity is what attracts people to buy it. It can bloom on exotic colors such as orange and yellow, or classical ones such as pink, purple and white. Mostly decorative, the Gerbera is used in floral arrangements or simply as offering it for a gift, being easily found at florists all year long, regardless the region. Definitely a best-selling flower, the Gerbera has become indispensable to any florist establishments and is nowadays extremely cultivated in all parts of the world.

      Although cultivators have managed to raise the number of the Gerbera species to almost 200, only 20 species are known to grow in the wild, without the help and the nurturing of people. These species bear the same characteristics as those cultivated in gardens, but they tend to have a more rough aspect, because of the lack of water or even the harsh weather conditions when draughts occur or inundations. All these 20 species are found in their originating places of the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and South America.

      One of the most popular species of Gerbera has been born out of a hybridization process and it’s called the Germini, or the miniature gerbera. This plant is very used in decorative purposes, at composing bride’s wedding bouquets or simply at decorating venues for special events.

      If you’re planting on cultivating this flower in your garden, you are sure of a successful cultivation, as the Gerbera is amongst the easiest flowers to nurture for. All they need is water, sun and space to grow. The Gerbera is highly cultivated nowadays and even though it originates from the tropical regions, it can also be found in northern Europe, western Asia and even North America.

Gerbera Pictures Gallery

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