One of Terra Nigra's new blooms.

A new variety of gerbera puts the stem, not the bloom, at center stage. Twelve years in the works, Gerfolia® makes its debut next month at breeder Terra Nigra's facilities in Kedelstaart, The Netherlands.

The bloom looks like a standard gerbera, but it has foliage attached to the stems.

"We look at all kinds of things in our breeding program," says Christa Boerlage of breeder Terra Nigra, which also introduced the miniature gerbera, Germini®, and the full-petaled Gerrondo®. She points out that, while the sleek stem of the gerbera is its signature trait, the original gerberas had foliage. "So we're actually taking it back a step, closer to nature."

"I love it!" says Tina Stoecker, AIFD, PFCI, of Designs of the Times Florist in Melbourne, Fla., who saw a photo of Gerfolia®. "Mainly because it has a more organic feel to it, as opposed to the sleek contemporary look of regular gerbera." Stoecker says she suspects the addition of foliage to the already striking flower "can only add to its perceived value."

Limited testing indicates that vase life, stem length and production in the greenhouse are comparable to standard gerberas. "We'll internationally test the product with a few growers to get more result and feedback," Boerlage says. Plants will be sold in limited quantities early next year, she adds, so buyers will see the product on the market in the fall of 2008.

--Kate F. Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

 

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