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Tropaeolum
Also called Nasturtiums
Tropaeolum is a genus of about 80 annual and perennial flowering plants from South and Central America, with the familiar garden nasturtium (T. majus and its hybrids) being the most grown. They thrive in sun and poor, dry soil, where they flower best.
Tropaeolum , commonly known as nasturtium (; literally "nose-twister" or "nose-tweaker"), is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae. The nasturtiums received their common name because they produce an oil similar to that of watercress (Nasturtium officinale).
The genus Tropaeolum, native to South and Central America, includes several very popular garden plants, the most common being T. majus, T. peregrinum and T. speciosum. One of the hardiest species is T. polyphyllum from Chile, the perennial roots of which can survive the winter underground at elevations of 3,300 metres (11,000 ft).
The most common flower in cultivation is a hybrid of T. majus, T. minus, and T. peltophorum. It is commonly known as the nasturtium (and occasionally anglicized as nasturtian). It is mostly grown from seed as a half-hardy annual, and both single and double varieties are available. It comes in various forms and colours, including cream, yellow, orange and red, solid in colour or striped and often with a dark blotch at the base of the petals. It is vigorous and easily grown and does well in sun. It thrives in poor soil and dry conditions, whereas rich soil produces much leafy growth and few flowers. Some varieties adopt a bush form while others scramble over and through other plants and are useful for planting in awkward spots or for covering fences and trellises.
The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
Tropaeolum beuthii · Tropaeolum incisum · Nasturtium · Canary Creeper · Flame Nasturtium · Tropaeolum tricolor · Anu
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tropaeolum 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.
