Gazania rigens - Treasure flower, African daisy

 

[Device used: Nikon D60, Pakenham, Victoria, Australia/2020]

The gazania flower, named after the 15th-century Greek-Italian scholar Theodorus of Gaza, is a warm weather perennial native to South Africa that is usually grown as an annual. It is a low-maintenance flower that is excellent for brightening up hard-to-landscape spaces. 

Gazania flowers are a member of the daisy family Asteraceae, genus Gazania. Also known as the treasure flower, African daisy. [1]

Varieties of Gazania

The daisy-like flowers of gazania come in a variety of hot hues on the color wheel— red, orange, and yellow. Many flowers feature solids and horizontal or vertical variegation on petals, sometimes with splashes of white and bright pink.

• Gardeners who live in areas with short growing seasons should try gazanias from the Chansonette series, which flower very early.
• Love the classic look of white flower gardens? The Creamsicle gazania cultivar sports ivory petals with a simple bronze center disk.
• Another early performer is the Daybreak series, which yields large flowers quickly from seed in sunset colors or stripes.
• Gardeners who work long daytime hours will appreciate that the paprika petals of Sunbather's Sunset stay open into the evening, rather than shutting up tight like most varieties do at twilight.
• The monochromatic gold petals and disks of Sundrop gazanias will bring a ray of sunshine to any flower garden.
• Some of the brightest gazania flowers grow in the Tiger Stripe Mix, which produce red or hot pink stripes on white or gold petals.
• Kiss Bronze Star gazanias are a riot of color when they unfurl two-tone petals of orange and gold.
• Get double the beauty when you plant Talent Mix, which has silver foliage that contrasts vividly against bright flowers. [1]

Interesting facts about Gazania:

Do They Sleep at Night?

Gazania flowers are light-sensitive. They close up at night and on particularly cloudy days. It is a behavior called nyctinasty.
Although the reason for this behavior isn’t fully understood, some scientists believe that this behavior prevents pollen from becoming wet and heavy with dew. Charles Darwin, well known for his theory of evolution, thought that plants close up at night to protect themselves from freezing. Closing at night may also protect the pollen from unwanted pests. These plants aren’t sleepy, they are just highly evolved.

Is Gazania Poisonous?

The plant is not considered toxic, but if eaten may cause discomfort. Since pets frequently chew on new plants introduced to the home, it is recommended to keep it out of the reach of your pets.

Is Gazania Invasive?

Gazania can become invasive in some areas.
The plant was originally brought to Australia as an ornamental plant. Because of its invasive nature, it soon spread across the continent.
Some varieties, such as Gazania rigens and Gazania linearis, are considered very invasive in some countries. Gazania Linearis is classified as invasive in California.

Benefits and Uses

The plant is sometimes used in folk medicine to treat pneumonia, sore eyes, headache, earache and sterility. [2]