Our History
Celebrating 70 Years – WA Gerbera Society Inc.
2025, proudly marks the 70th Anniversary of the WA Gerbera Society Inc., celebrating seven decades of dedication to the cultivation, exhibition, and promotion of gerberas in Western Australia.
From its founding in the 1950s by passionate local growers, the Society has grown into a vibrant community of enthusiasts, breeders, and horticultural experts. Over the years, members have contributed to the development of new gerbera varieties, shared knowledge through exhibitions and shows, and fostered a strong culture of collaboration and learning.
This milestone offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the Society’s achievements, explore its rich history, and appreciate the ongoing commitment of its members in maintaining and advancing the legacy of gerbera cultivation across the state.
A Brief History of the Gerbera
Gerberas are relatively modern plants compared with many other well-known species and do not have a long or colourful history.
The first recorded discovery of the species is attributed to Traugott Gerber (1710–1743), a German botanist and medical practitioner, who reportedly found gerberas in eastern Europe or western Russia during the 1730s. Some historians, however, suggest that Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist and friend of Gerber, may have been responsible for the discovery. Regardless of who first found the plant, the genus name Gerbera was ultimately derived from Gerber’s name.
In 1737, Jan Frederik Gronovius, a Dutch botanist and patron of Linnaeus, formally assigned the name Gerbera. Beyond this, there is little historical record detailing the characteristics of these early specimens, such as flower colour, leaf shape, or stem length.
After Gerber’s initial discovery, the next significant record was by Robert Jameson, a Scotsman who identified a species in the Transvaal region of South Africa in the 1880s. This species, Gerbera Jamesonii, forms the basis of most modern gerberas. Jameson sent specimens to Cape Town, some of which were later forwarded to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England. Around the same time, another species was sent to Kew from the Durban Botanical Gardens, though it is unclear whether it was identical to Jameson’s discovery.
Hybridisation and selective breeding of gerberas began in the late 19th century, but detailed records of these early programmes are scarce. Gerberas gained wider recognition after the Royal Horticultural Society’s Jubilee Exhibition at Chelsea in 1912, which sparked commercial interest, particularly in the Netherlands. Modern cultivars were developed by crossing Gerbera Jamesonii with Gerbera viridifolia, alongside contributions from species found in France, Germany, Belgium, the USA, and even Tasmania.
One of the most significant milestones in gerbera history was the development of double flowers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This breakthrough stimulated large-scale breeding programs worldwide, including in Australia, leading to the extensive variety of colours, shapes, and plant types available today. The popularity of gerberas soared, making them the fifth most popular cut flower in the world.
The development of superior varieties was a key factor in the formation of the WA Gerbera Society in the 1950s, as members focused on cross-pollination and breeding to produce flowers of exceptional quality. Today, most early varieties are no longer grown, as they do not match the exhibition quality of modern cultivars. Due to the limited records of early cross-pollinations, undertaking new breeding programs with predictable outcomes remains challenging.
Today, approximately 40 different species of gerbera are known worldwide. Western Australia has its own native species, Trichocline spathulata, which grows in the Darling Ranges.
This overview provides a brief history of the gerbera plant, from its early discovery to its development into the highly popular and diverse flower we know today.