Supplemental care and marketing tips: The species is prone to 6ent-neck. Hang flower heads through a meshed support or shippin~ tray when first hydrating to keep stems straight. Piercing a hole through the stem below the flower head can allow solution to move further up the inside of hollow stemmed cultivars only. However, this procedure -- as well as the use of stem wires and straws for stem support--doesn't increase flower life. Rather, use proper hydration procedures and keep the holding solution clean. Fluoride in some water sources can cause petal tip burn, but fresh-flower food solution can prevent this disorder. On average, 33 percent of the potential life of this flower species is lost in the marketing channel from grower through retailer.

Botanical name: Gerbera spp.

Genus pronunciation: jer-BE-ra or Ger-BE-ra GER-ber-uh

Common relatives: Mum, sunflower, lettuce, chicory and aster

Botanical fun facts: Originally spelled "Gerberia," it was named after Traug Gerber, a German naturalist.

Ethylene sensitive: It is not ethylene sensitive.

Storage temperature (3 days or fewer): 36-38 degrees Fahrenheit
Storage temperature (more than 3 days): 32-34 degrees Fahrenheit

Purchasing hints: Make sure that at least one row of disk flowers (tubular flowers in the center of the head) are showing pollen. With well over 300 cultivars in commerce, it is imperative that gerberas be ordered by cultivar name. Unfortunately, this large number of cultivars contributes to the general resistance to learning their cultivar names, which aggravates the problem of marketing poor ones.

End-user life: 4 - 14 days

Special concerns: Be careful of lack of water uptake (clogged stems) due to dirty holding solutions, a main cause for bent neck. Since more water is lost through the flower stem (scape) than through the flower petals, the scapes should be handled with as much care as the flowers.

Care and Handling information is from the "Flower and Plant Care Manual", Written by George Staby, Ph.D., Used with the permission of publisher, The Society of American Florists, 1601 Duke St., Alexandria, VA. 22314-3406.