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Geraniaceae
Scented Pelargonium
Pelargonium graveolens
The comfort of home and hearth.
- Family
- Geraniaceae
- Genus
- Pelargonium
- Native to
- South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- shrubby perennial
- Height
- 1-4 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, moderately fertile
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Pelargonium graveolens is the commercial source of geranium essential oil, one of the most important fragrance raw materials in perfumery — used in thousands of perfumes, soaps, and cosmetics as a rose-like base note.
- Despite being called 'geranium oil' in the perfume trade, the plant is not a true geranium (Geranium) but a Pelargonium — the two genera have quite different flower structures and genetics.
- The strongly rose-lemon-scented leaves are a natural insect repellent; compounds including citronellol and geraniol are toxic to mosquito larvae and have been studied as potential low-toxicity repellent formulations.
- Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean is the world's largest producer of geranium oil — the volcanic soils and subtropical climate produce oil of exceptional quality, known in the trade as 'Bourbon geranium.'
- In Victorian England, scented pelargoniums were fashionable houseplants collected for their diverse fragrances — different cultivars were bred to smell of lemon, nutmeg, apple, peppermint, pine, and even chocolate.
Color meanings
0
comfort
1
hospitality
2
true friendship