Also called African daisy, this native to South Africa and Mozambique is a spreading tender perennial that has become naturalized on the shores of the Mediterranean and is now considered a weed on the islands of Madeira, Sicily and Sardinia. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. Plants grow 6-12″ tall with trailing stems and form a tuft of evergreen lanceolate leaves that are 6-9″ long, sometimes lobed, dark green on the upper surface and gray and woolly on the underside. Single 2-4″ wide flowerheads are carried on leafless stems above the foliage and consist of orange-yellow ray flowers with a black spot/s at the base surrounding a contrasting center of disc flowers. Hybrids/cultivars are available in various colors including orange, yellow, gold, cream, white, pink, or bronze-red with some being striped or ringed. In areas with cool summers plants flower from spring to frost but elsewhere from spring to early summer. Flowers close at night and may only partially open on cloudy days. Treasure flower is drought tolerant but does not like heat and humidity. It is a good choice for an edging, ground cover, border, and container, and can be taken indoors as a houseplant. The genus name, Gazania, may honor Theodore of Gaza (1398-1478) a Greek humanist who translated some of the botanical works of Theophrastus from Greek to Latin. Alternatively, the name may come from the Latin word, gaza, meaning treasure. The specific epithet, rigens, comes from the Latin word rigeo meaning stiff.
Type: Tender perennial often grown as an annual
Bloom: Flowerheads with orange-yellow ray flowers with black spot/s at base surrounding a contrasting center of disc flowers from spring to frost in cool summers
Size: 6-12″ H x 6-12″ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, medium moist to dry, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 9-11
Care: Deadhead to prolong blooming; fertilize once annually and divide every 3-4 years where perennial.
Pests and Diseases: None of significance but susceptible to leaf spot, powdery mildew stem, leaf rot, and mealy bugs.
Propagation: Seed, offsets late summer to early fall
Companion Plants: Stone crop, aloe, globe amaranth, cosmos
Outstanding Selections:
Chansonette series ( very early bloom time)
Daybreak series (large blooms)
Sunbather’s Sunset (flowerheads stay open in the evening)
Tiger Stripe Mix ( red or hot pink stripes on white or gold rays)
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Karen Meyers