Gerbera aurantiaca Sch.Bip.

Roots 1-3.5 mm wide, thong-like; rootstock stout, often horizontal. Leaves 11-25(-36) cm long, 1.5-6.5(-8.5) cm wide. Petiole 0-6 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, up to 10 mm at the base. Blade elliptic, gradually tapering towards the base, decurrent in a narrow wing on the petiole, sometimes almost to its base; apex acute to broadly so; margin entire or obscurely remotely denticulate, densely tomentose-hairy. Upper surface dark or fresh green, more or less hairy with short hairs, usually almost velvety to the touch; lower surface more dull, when young long whitish villose-tomentose, the tomentum then becoming thin with woolly hairs, glabrous when mature; lateral veins scarcely raised. Scapes seemingly always solitary, 14-41.5 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, not narrowing above. Involucral bracts 6-18 mm long, 1-3 mm wide, long tapering. Heads campanulate, 14-20 mm long, 24-35 mm wide. 30-40 outer ray florets, rather crowded, long and prominent, usually blood-red (crimson), but varying from orange through scarlet or crimson to dark red, below more dull or coppery; tube 5-6 mm long, about 1 mm wide, lower limb 14-28 mm long, 1.5-7 mm wide, upper limb about 2 mm long, style up to 3.5 mm long. Tube of inner ray florets 5-7 mm long, lower limb 1.5-3 mm long, upper limb 1-2 mm long; both inner ray florets and disc florets pinkish or reddish, anthers of the disc florets black (or yellow?). Achenes not known in detail, possibly sometimes only subrostrate, otherwise more or less beaked, about 7-8 mm long with the beaked part constituting about 2 mm. Pappus violet-purple, sometimes whitish at the very base.