Гербера: Түрлер, сипаттамасы және қолданылуы

Genus of plants

Gerbera ('/dʒ//ɜr//b//ər//ə/ or '/ɡ//ɜr//b//ər//ə/) L. is a genus of plants in the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J. D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a South African species also known as Transvaal daisy or Barberton daisy. Gerbera is also commonly known as the African daisy.

The genus was named in honour of German botanist and medical doctor Traugott Gerber (1710 — 1743) who travelled extensively in Russia and was a friend of Carl Linnaeus.

Gerbera species are tufted, caulescent, perennial herbs, often with woolly crown, up to 80 cm high. Leaves are all in rosette, elliptical with entire or toothed margin or lobed, petiolate or with a petaloid base, pinnately veined, often leathery and felted beneath. Single to several flowering stems from each rosette bear bracteate or ebracteate, simple, one headed inflorescence capitulum. Capitula are radiate, with several rows of bracts. Ray florets are female, 2 lipped, the outer lip is large and strap shaped, inner lip consists of two small, thread like lobes of white, pink or red, rarely yellow colour. Disc florets are fertile, five lobed and irregularly 2 lipped with curled petals.

Gerbera parva N. E. Br.

Gerbera is native to tropical regions of Africa. It was introduced into countries of Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. The domesticated cultivars are mostly a result of a cross between Gerbera jamesonii and another South African species Gerbera viridifolia. The cross is known as Gerbera × hybrida. Thousands of cultivars exist. They vary greatly in shape and size. Colours include white, yellow, orange, red, and pink. The centre of the flower is sometimes black. Often the same flower can have petals of several different colours. The flower heads (capitula) can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera 'mini Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’). Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip). It is also used as a model organism in studying flower formation. Gerbera contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives. It is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds, but resistant to deer. Small ones are called gerbrinis.