The Gerbera Daisy flower, also sometimes known as the Gerber Daisy, is a bright, colorful, happy flower. Gerber Daisies are as equally at home dressed up in a Gerber Daisy wedding bouquet as they are in a whimsical vase at home on a table – in fact the Gerbera Daisy flower is one flower that is sure to make just about anyone smile. Gerber Daisy colors are so vibrant and beautiful that a Gebera Daisy bouquet is right for almost any occasion.
Gerbera Daisies are, in fact, members of the sunflower family. However, whereas the sunflowers one typically thinks of are usually of the yellow, orange or bronze variety, Gerber Daisy colors include not only yellow and orange, but many beautiful shades of pink, red, cream, and white.
Despite its sunny disposition and cheerful nature, the Gerbera Daisy is shrouded in mystery. By all accounts this daisy was named after Traugott Gerber, a German doctor who lived in the early 1700s, but it was actually discovered by either Carolus Linneaus (also known as Carl von Linne) or his patron, Jan Frederik Gronovius, who were contemporaries of Gerber, and to this day, nobody knows why von Linne chose to name this beautiful flower after Gerber.
There are many species of Gerber Daisy, and one of the most popular is the Jamesonii, named after Robert Jameson, a Scotsman who discovered the daisy in Barberton, South Africa, in the mid-1800s. Indeed, this species of Gerbera is often referred to as the Barberton, or ‘Barb’, Daisy.
Daisies generally symbolize purity and innocence, and that is true of Gerber Daisies as well. But Gerber Daisies have the added meaning of cheer – or cheerfulness – as well. This makes Gerber Daisies the perfect flowers to give or send for such occasions as the birth of a baby, a sweet 16 birthday, an engagement, or to send a cheery get well message.
