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There is nothing more beautiful than animals and nature!!!

Featured in “Gorgeous Flower Card” 1-11-2011

Featured in “One Single Flower” 1-7-2011

Gerbera (pronounced /‘d??rb?r?/ or /’g?rb?r?/) L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It was named in honour of the German botanist and naturalist Traugott Gerber († 1743) who travelled extensively in Russia and was a friend of Carolus Linnaeus. Gerbera is, therefore, correctly pronounced (/‘g?rb?r?/) [“g” as in “get” and not as in “gesture”], though it is also pronounced /’d??rb?r?/. 
Gerbera is also commonly known as: African Daisy, Transvaal Daisy, and Barberton Daisy. The gerbera daisy, known as the _{Transvaal Daisy,} originated in South Africa.
It has approximately 30 species in the wild, extending to South America, Africa and tropical Asia. 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 species bear a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colours. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera mini ‘Harley’) in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).
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 ofcultivars 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.
Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, andtulip).[citation needed] It is also used as a model organism in studying flower formation. Gerbera contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives. Gerbera is a tender annual plant.
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. This plant is resistant to deer.