| Pelargonium capitatum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Geraniales |
| Family: | Geraniaceae |
| Genus: | Pelargonium |
| Species: | P. capitatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pelargonium capitatum | |
Pelargonium capitatum is one of several species (includingPelargonium graveolens) known asrose geranium[1] orrose-scented pelargonium in English. The popular names refer to the scent of the essential oils extracted from glandular tissue, not the flowers, which have hardly any scent to speak of. Some of the species are known as kusmalva (meaning, roughly, "coastal geranium") in Afrikaans.
It is in the subgenusPelargonium along withPelargonium graveolens,Pelargonium tomentosum andPelargonium crispum.
Pelargonium comes from the Greekpelargos, which meansstork. Another name for pelargoniums is storksbills due to the shape of their fruit. The epithetcapitatum refers to the head-shaped flowers leaves.
Pelargonium capitatum is a lowshrub up to about 100 cm (39 in) in height and 1.5 m across. The stems are soft and coated in green, glandular hairs. Brushing against a bush releases a copious scent of the essential oil from damaged hairs. The scent varies from faint sweetness to a strong rosy scent. The flowers range from white through various shades of pink to purple. Its preferred habitat is on sand dunes, but it is a fast grower on any reasonable base, including hard clayey soil, so it readily colonises disturbed habitat.[2]Pelargonium capitatum is one of a number of related plants that have become a major problem in coastal regions of southwestWestern Australia, where it invades banksia woodland and coastal heathland.[3] It can be easily propagated from seed or cuttings, and grows best in well-drained sandy soils.[2]
It is found infynbos along the coast ofSouth Africa, fromLamberts Bay in theWestern Cape east toKwazulu-Natal. Its habitat is usually beach sand or other well-drained sandy soils. It is a popular and convenientornamental plant and it also is one of the species ofPelargonium cultivated as a source of essential oils.
There are many cultivars and hybrids ofPelargonium capitatum as it hybridises readily with other species in thePelargonium subgenus. These cultivars and hybrids include:
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