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Pelargonium
Also called Geraniums, Stork's Bills, Pelargoniums, Geraniums And Storksbills, Storkbills, Storksbills
Pelargonium, the genus commonly sold as geraniums, is a group of about 280 mostly evergreen perennials, succulents and shrubs from warm regions, especially southern Africa. Commonly grown members like zonal and scented-leaf geraniums need bright light, good drainage and protection from frost.
Pelargonium () is a genus of flowering plants commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. It includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs. Taxonomist Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species of Pelargonium and Geranium under the latter name. In 1789, Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle separated them into two genera.
While Geranium species are mostly temperate herbaceous plants, dying down in winter, Pelargonium species are evergreen perennials indigenous to warm temperate and tropical regions of the world, with many species in southern Africa. They are drought and heat tolerant but can tolerate only minor frosts. Some species are extremely popular garden plants, grown as houseplants and bedding plants in temperate regions.
Various types of Pelargonium are regular participants in flower shows and competitive events, with numerous societies devoted exclusively to their cultivation. They are easy to propagate vegetatively from cuttings. It is recommended that cuttings should have at least two nodes. Zonal geraniums grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 through 12. Zonal geraniums are basically tropical perennials. Although they are often grown as annuals, they may overwinter in zones as cool as zone 7.
Pelargonium is a large genus within the family Geraniaceae, which has a worldwide distribution in temperate to subtropical zones with some 800 mostly herbaceous species. Pelargonium itself is native to southern Africa (including Namibia) and Australia. Southern Africa contains 90% of the genus, with only about 30 species found elsewhere, predominantly the East African rift valley (about 20 species) and southern Australia, including Tasmania. The remaining few species are found in southern Madagascar, Yemen, Iraq, Asia Minor, the north of New Zealand and isolated islands in the south Atlantic Ocean (Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha) and Socotra in the Indian Ocean. The centre of diversity is in southwestern South Africa where rainfall is confined to the winter, unlike the rest of the country where rainfall is predominantly in the summer months. Most of the Pelargonium plants cultivated in Europe and North America have their origins in South Africa.
Sorrel Leaf Pelargonium · Hooded crane's bill · Large Flower Pelargonium · Sweet scented geranium · Zonal geranium · Scarlet geranium · Butterfly Storksbill · Hanging geranium · Rasp-leaf pelargonium · Black Pelargonium · Night Scent Pelargonium · Grapeleaf geranium
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pelargonium by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
