Gazania opens its bold, striped daisy-like blooms wide each morning to greet the sun, then closes them again by evening or on cloudy days — a habit unique to this cheerful South African native.
Also called the treasure flower, gazania tolerates heat, drought, and poor soil remarkably well, making it a favorite for hot, dry gardens, rock gardens, and groundcover plantings. Its vivid, often bicolor or striped petals give it a striking, jewel-like appearance.
Gazania, true to its "treasure flower" nickname, symbolizes wealth and prosperity, its jewel-toned petals often likened to precious gems catching the sunlight.
Gazania wants full sun and well-draining, even sandy, soil, and it's remarkably drought-tolerant once established. In warm climates it behaves as a tender perennial, while in colder regions it's typically grown as a heat-loving annual bedding plant.
Gazania has no significant history of herbal or medicinal use and is grown almost entirely as a colorful, low-water bedding and groundcover ornamental.
