208 
FLORA AND SYLVA 
Garden, and G. viridifolia and G. Sir 
Michael were both introduced through 
the same institution. G. viridifolia is 
now lost, but is in itself of no value 
though in crossing it sufficed to give 
the white and pink colours and its own 
free habit. G. Sir Michael is, a distinct 
variety of Jamesoni differing chiefly in 
its pure yellow colour, but it is a much 
more difficult plant to cultivate ; its 
descendants of the same colour, ob- 
tained by crossing, are quite easy to 
grow. Amongst the named hybrids 
are Brilliant^ already described ; Evan- 
geline^ with rosy flowers paling to soft 
yellow in the centre ; Ki?2g Arthur^ 
rosy- salmon colour; Hiawatha^ clear 
light scarlet; May Queen ^ soft rose; 
and Village ^Z?<:ij-;;2///z, lemon-yellow. 
It is a mistake to suppose that seeds 
are not easily produced, but it is essential 
that pollen should come from another 
plant, for single plants of Gerbera are 
sterile. Thisisfrequently the caseamong 
the Compositce^ indeed self- sterility 
throughout the vegetable kingdom is 
far more common than is supposed, and 
the failure to obtain seed from plants 
is often due to the need of pollen from 
another individual. In crossing Gerbera 
take the pollen from the anthers by 
squeezing gently between the thumb- 
nails, and convey it to the stigmas in 
flowers that have just opened. 
In addition to the varieties of G. 
yamesoni already mentioned as having 
served in my experiments, two or three 
named forms are offered by continental 
growers such as the atrosanguinea of 
Sprenger, with blood-red flowers; illus- 
tris^ also an Italian plant, described as 
of stronger growth with larger flowers 
of a more brilliant shade ; and transvaal- 
ensis, a variety grown in Belgium. 
The name Gerbera is in honour of 
a German naturalist named Gerber. The 
other species are almost unknown to 
gardeners and are for the most part low- 
growing plants of purely botanic inter- 
est, such as G. Anandria from Japan 
and eastern Asia, G. lanuginosa and G. 
Kunzea?2a from the Himalayas, and G. 
chilensis from South America. For 
though so few in number the members 
of the group are widely scattered from 
Japan through Asia and Abyssinia to 
South Africa and Madagascar ; on the 
far side of the Atlantic they appear, in 
the West Indies and various parts of 
South America to its extreme south. 
Among introduced kinds are G. viridi- 
folia an interesting plant from South 
Africa, smaller than G. Jamesoni with 
flowers only 2 inches across, dull white 
inside with pale yellow reverse flushed 
with lilac towards the tips of the rays. 
The bright-green leaves rise from a 
woolly rootstock and are lance-shaped 
and not lobed. In addition to their lack 
of colour the flowers are only open for 
a few hours each da 
so 
that little has 
been heard of the plantin gardens. More 
beautiful is G. asplenifolia^ also from 
South Africa, with purple flowers upon 
long woolly stalks and short fern-like 
leaves of glossy texture. Another pretty 
plant bearing bright purple flowers with 
a yellow diskand deep green fleshy leaves 
is sometimes known as G. crenata^ but 
is more properly called Mairia crenata. 
R. IRWIN LYNCH. 
The Botanic Garden, Cambridge. 
