Pericallis x hybrida is a hybrid with roots in the Canary Islands, where its parent species grow among the volcanic soils of that oceanic archipelago. In cultivation it is primarily a florist's plant — forced to bloom from Christmas through Easter and sold as a living bouquet for cold-weather windowsills and patios. It mounds to 12 to 18 inches, and when in full flush the flowers cover the foliage almost entirely in a mass of daisy-like color, the contrasting central eye giving each bloom a clean graphic quality.

Greenhouse-grown plants arrive already pushed to their limits, which makes reblooming at home genuinely difficult — most gardeners accept the display for what it is and compost it gracefully when it finishes. In North Carolina it functions as an annual. It wants partial shade, fertile and consistently moist soil, and cool temperatures; heat ends the show quickly. A sheltered patio container in spring, or a cold windowsill indoors, extends the season as long as the conditions allow.