Gazania is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of flowering plants in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
Southern AfricaSouthern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. It is often planted as drought-tolerant ground cover.
Species include:
- Gazania caespitosa Bolus
- Gazania ciliaris DC.
- Gazania heterochaeta DC.
- Gazania jurineifolia DC.
- Gazania krebsiana Less. (= Gazania pavonia) - Terracotta Gazania
- Gazania lichtensteinii Less..
- Gazania leiopoda (DC.) Roessler
- Gazania linearis
Gazania linearis is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name treasureflower. It is native to southern Africa, particularly South Africa, but it can be found in other parts of the world with similar climates where it has taken hold as an introduced species, such as...
(Thunb.) Druce - Treasureflower
- Gazania maritima Levyns
- Gazania othonnites (Thunb.) Less.
- Gazania pectinata (Thunb.) Hartw.
- Gazania rigens
Gazania rigens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Africa.The species occurs in South Africa and Mozambique...
(L.) Gaertn. (= Gazania × splendens)
- Gazania rigida (Burm.f.) Roessler
- Gazania schenckii O.Hoffm.
- Gazania serrata DC.
- Gazania tenuifolia Less.
- Gazania thermalis
Gazania thermalis is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Namibia.Its natural habitat is geothermal wetlands.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Dinter
The genus was first formally described by German botanist
Joseph GaertnerJoseph Gaertner was a German botanist.His major publication is De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum ....
in the second volume of his major work
De Fructibus et Seminibus PlantarumDe Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Fruct. Sem. Pl., is a three-volume botanic treatise by Joseph Gaertner. The first volume was published in December 1788. The second volume was published in four parts, in 1790, 1791, 1791 and 1792 respectively...
in 1791.
The genus occurs in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
,
SwazilandThe Kingdom of Swaziland , sometimes called Ngwane, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique. The nation, as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king Mswati II.Swaziland is a small country, no...
,
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
,
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
and
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
.
Additionally, species are naturalised in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, and
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
Gazania is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of flowering plants in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
Southern AfricaSouthern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. It is often planted as drought-tolerant ground cover.
Species
Species include:
- Gazania caespitosa Bolus
- Gazania ciliaris DC.
- Gazania heterochaeta DC.
- Gazania jurineifolia DC.
- Gazania krebsiana Less. (= Gazania pavonia) - Terracotta Gazania
- Gazania lichtensteinii Less..
- Gazania leiopoda (DC.) Roessler
- Gazania linearis
Gazania linearis is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name treasureflower. It is native to southern Africa, particularly South Africa, but it can be found in other parts of the world with similar climates where it has taken hold as an introduced species, such as...
(Thunb.) Druce - Treasureflower
- Gazania maritima Levyns
- Gazania othonnites (Thunb.) Less.
- Gazania pectinata (Thunb.) Hartw.
- Gazania rigens
Gazania rigens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Africa.The species occurs in South Africa and Mozambique...
(L.) Gaertn. (= Gazania × splendens)
- Gazania rigida (Burm.f.) Roessler
- Gazania schenckii O.Hoffm.
- Gazania serrata DC.
- Gazania tenuifolia Less.
- Gazania thermalis
Gazania thermalis is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Namibia.Its natural habitat is geothermal wetlands.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Dinter
Taxonomic history
The genus was first formally described by German botanist
Joseph GaertnerJoseph Gaertner was a German botanist.His major publication is De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum ....
in the second volume of his major work
De Fructibus et Seminibus PlantarumDe Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Fruct. Sem. Pl., is a three-volume botanic treatise by Joseph Gaertner. The first volume was published in December 1788. The second volume was published in four parts, in 1790, 1791, 1791 and 1792 respectively...
in 1791.
Distribution
The genus occurs in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
,
SwazilandThe Kingdom of Swaziland , sometimes called Ngwane, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique. The nation, as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king Mswati II.Swaziland is a small country, no...
,
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
,
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
and
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
.
Additionally, species are naturalised in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, and
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
. They are widely cultivated as ornamental garden plants.
Cultivation
Gazanias are grown for the brilliant colour of their flower which appear in the late spring and early summer. They prefer a sunny position and are tolerant of dryness and poor soils.
A commonly grown variety is the
Trailing Gazania (
Gazania rigensGazania rigens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Africa.The species occurs in South Africa and Mozambique...
var.
leucolaena). They are commonly used as groundcovers and can be planted en masse to cover large areas or embankments, assisted by their fast growth rate.
CultivarA cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics....
s of this variety include 'Sunburst', 'Sunglow' and 'Sunrise Yellow'
Another popular cultivated variety is the
Clumping Gazania (
Gazania rigensGazania rigens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Africa.The species occurs in South Africa and Mozambique...
) which has a number of named cultivars including 'Aztec', 'Burgundy', 'Copper King', 'Fiesta Red', 'Goldrush' and 'Moonglow'.