Common Name: treasure flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 9 to 11
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 0.50 to 0.75 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal bloomer
Bloom Description: Red, yellow, pink, orange, bronze or white
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Evergreen
Tolerate: Drought
Culture
Grow in sandy to average, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some soil dryness, but prefers consistent moisture. Do not overwater, however. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. Winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-11. Grow as annuals in St. Louis, either in the ground or in containers. Prefers cool summer climates, and flowering may slow down considerably in hot and humid St. Louis summers. If growing from seed, start plants indoors in late winter (6-8 weeks before last frost date) and set plants outside after last frost date. Collecting seed from garden plants is not usually done because hybrids are either sterile or, if a seed strain, does not come true from seed. Take basal offsets from favorite plants in late summer to early fall for rooting and subsequent overwintering indoors in pots. Container plants may also be brought inside for winter.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Native to South Africa, gazania or treasure flower is a popular African daisy that is similar in appearance to Arctotis. Many of the gazania cultivars sold in commerce today are clumping hybrids with complex parentage. These are tender perennials that typically feature basal foliage clumps of narrow but variably-shaped, dandelion-like leaves (narrow spoon-shaped to lobed) that are dark green above and silvery beneath. Flowering stems typically rise 6-10” tall topped by solitary, daisy-like ray flowers (to 3-4” wide) with contrasting center disks. Ray flowers come in a great variety of colors including shades of red, yellow, pink, orange, bronze or white often with contrasting color at the bases forming a ring around the center disk. Can blooms summer to fall, often to first frost. Flowers close at night and may only partially open up on cloudy days.
Genus name possibly honors Theodore de Gaza (1398-1478), 15th century Greek scholar, who translated some important botanical works of Theophrastus from Greek into Latin. In the alternative, the genus name may come from the Latin word gaza meaning "treasure" in reference to the attractive flowers as memorialized by the adoption of the common name of treasure flower for this plant.
Problems
Overly moist soils can lead to root and stem rot. Watch for leaf spot and powdery mildew. Mealybugs are occasional visitors.
Uses
Mass in beds and borders. Containers.