Gerbera L.

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Scapose herbs with perennial rootstock becoming ± woody with age

Morphology Leaves

Leaves all in a basal rosette, prostrate or ± ascending, petiolate or with a petioloid base, pinnately veined, entire to pinnatifid

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape

Scapes 1–several from each rosette, sometimes precocious, erect, bracteate or ebracteate, simple, 1-headed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula solitary, terminal, erect, heterogamous, apparently radiate but with all florets bilabiate, the female with usually much reduced staminodes; involucre cylindrical to campanulate; phyllaries ± 3-seriate, imbricate, the outer shorter, the inner ± subequal and with ± membranous glabrous margins, glabrous inside

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Outer florets female; corolla of outermost florets with narrow tube, radiating 3-toothed lower lip and upper lip of 2 narrow, short, linear often curled lobes, other female florets with short non-radiating lower lip; style branches very short, ovoid to club-shaped Inner florets hermaphrodite, the corolla with broader tube and short broader lower lip; anthers strongly sagittate or tailed; style branches short, oblong, obtuse

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes all similar, ± fusiform, apically narrowed or distinctly beaked, somewhat dorsiventrally compressed, 5–10-ribbed, brownish, usually pilose; pappus of numerous barbellate bristles, whitish, tawny or purplish.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Scapose herbs with perennial rootstock

Morphology Leaves

Leaves all in a basal rosette

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape

Scapes 1–several from each rosette, sometimes precocious, simple, 1-headed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Capitula solitary, terminal, heterogamous, apparently radiate but with all florets 2-lipped

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Outer florets female; corolla with narrow tube, radiating 3-toothed lower lip and upper lip of 2 narrow, short lobes Inner florets bisexual, the corolla with broader tube and short broader lower lip; anthers strongly sagittate or tailed; style-arms short, oblong, obtuse

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes all similar, ± fusiform, apically narrowed or distinctly beaked, somewhat flattened; pappus of numerous barbellate bristles, whitish, tawny or purplish.

Distribution

Afroasian genus of some 22 species, centered in southern Africa and Madagascar.

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style branches of hermaphrodite flowers shortly and broadly lanceolate, the tips rounded or subacute with short pollen-sweeping hairs outside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes narrowly flask-shaped, ± attenuate above or prolonged into an apical beak, 4–10-ribbed, sparsely puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Pappus several-seriate of minutely barbellate setae.

Morphology General Habit

Scapigerous perennial herbs from woody rootstocks; rootcrowns lanate, roots numerous spreading thong-like or fusiform.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves radical, entire serrulate to dentate or sinuate-pinnatifid, sometimes villose to closely tomentose on the lower surface, usually glabrescent Scapes 1-several, ebracteate in the Flora Zambesiaca area, often appearing before or with the young leaves, sometimes elongating after seed-set, erect, densely villose-tomentose towards the apex, glabrescent in the lower part.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula solitary, heterogamous, bilabiate-radiate; corollas all 2-lipped, the outer lip strap-shaped or shortly elliptic (2)3-denticulate, the inner lip of 2 small linear lobes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucres broadly obconic; phyllaries numerous, imbricate, increasing in size to the inside, narrowly lanceolate or linear-triangular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle flat, shallowly alveolate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Inner florets hermaphrodite or functionally male. Outer florets female the marginal ones radiate and the submarginal ones equally bilabiate, staminodes usually present (often absent in Gerbera piloselloides).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corollas white yellow pink or red.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers with narrowly ovate apical appendages, and sagittate bases with tails entire or ciliate.