Compilation
Gerbera welwitschii

An acaulescent perennial herb, from a thickened woody rootstock; rootcrowns densely silky-lanate; roots numerous, brown and thong-like, c. 2 mm. in diam. Leaves radical, ascending or spreading, very variable, usually petiolate; petiole up to c. 26 cm. long, but usually shorter; lamina up to c. 20 x 6.5(9) cm., but usually smaller, broadly oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, rounded or sub-obtuse mucronate at the apex, cuneate to ± rounded below and shortly somewhat asymmetrically decurrent on the petiole, rarely sub-cordate, margins entire to sinuate-denticulate undulate, upper surface ± patent hispid-pilose to glabrescent, lower surface whitish to lemon-yellow appressed lanate-tomentose. Scapes one-several, often appearing before the leaves, erect slender, up to c. 45 cm. long, densely brown tomentose often becoming white-lanate towards the apex, glabrescent to the base, indumentum dense of short crisped hairs intermixed with few to numerous long pilose hairs. Capitula solitary erect; involucres mostly 8–14 x 12–25 mm., broadly obconic; phyllaries from c. 4 mm. long outside to c. 14 mm. long inside, narrowly lanceolate, crisped-pubescent to tomentose or densely lanate-pilose outside, often glabrescent. Outer florets female, of two kinds; a marginal series of ray-florets with the outer lip erect 8–12 x 1–2.5 mm., oblong-elliptic or narrowly oblanceolate, minutely 3-dentate, yellow in the Flora Zambesiaca area, the inner lip of 2 c. 1.2 mm. long linear often curled lobes, pappus copius several seriate of minutely barbellate setae 4–6 mm. long, achenes to c. 6 mm. long narrowly flask-shaped and ± beaked when mature, 6–10-ribbed, sparsely to densely minutely hispid; a submarginal series of fewer bilabiate florets, corollas 6–7 mm. long, the outer lip 1.5–2 mm. long and minutely 3-dentate, the inner lip of 2 erect linear lobes, the pappus and achenes as for the outer florets. Central florets numerous bilabiate, functionally male, corollas yellow, 7–8 mm. long, the limb narrowly cylindric and tapering below, 2-lipped, the outer lip minutely 3-dentate, the inner lip with 2 linear curved lobes; achenes to c. 6 mm. long, somewhat flattened not swelling, minutely pubescent, pappus as for outer florets.