''Pelargonium'' () is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s that includes about 280
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
s,
succulent
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
s, and
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s,
commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''
Geranium'' is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family
Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus ''Geranium''. The family includes both the genus ''Geranium'' (the cranesbills, or true geraniums) and the garden plants called ...
.
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
originally included all the species in one genus, ''Geranium'', and they were later separated into two genera by
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle (; 15 June 1746 – 18 August 1800) was an 18th-century French botanist and civil servant. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of ...
in 1789.
While ''Geranium'' species are mostly
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
herbaceous plants, dying down in winter, ''Pelargonium'' species are evergreen perennials
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
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
Bedding, also known as bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environm ...
plants in
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
regions. They have a long flowering period, with flowers mostly in red, orange, or white; but intensive breeding has produced a huge array of
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s with great variety in size, flower colour, leaf form and aromatic foliage.
Etymology
![Pelargon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Pelargon.jpg)
The name ''Pelargonium'' is derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
πελαργός, ''pelargós'' (
stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...
), because the seed head looks like a stork's beak.
Dillenius
Johann Jacob Dillen Dillenius (1684 – 2 April 1747) was a German botanist. He is known for his ''Hortus Elthamensis'' ("Eltham Garden") on the rare plants around Eltham, London, and for his ''Historia muscorum'' ("History of Mosses"), a natu ...
originally suggested the name 'stork', because ''Geranium'' was named after a
crane — "''a'' πελαργός, ''ciconia, sicuti vocamus Gerania'', γερανός, ''grus''" (from ''pelargos'', stork, as we call the ''Gerania'', ''geranos'', crane).
Description
''Pelargonium'' occurs in a large number of
growth forms
Plant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs (forbs and graminoids), etc. The sc ...
, including
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
annuals,
shrubs
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
, subshrubs, stem
succulents
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
and
geophytes
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy
(generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...
. The erect stems bear five-
petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
ed
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
in
umbel
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
-like clusters, which are occasionally branched. Because not all flowers appear simultaneously, but open from the centre outwards, this is a form of inflorescence is referred to as pseudoumbels.
The flower has a single symmetry plane (
zygomorphic
Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts.
Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...
), which distinguishes it from the ''
Geranium'' flower, which has radial symmetry (
actinomorphic
Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts.
Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...
). Thus the lower three (anterior) petals are differentiated from the upper two (posterior) petals. The posterior
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
is fused with the
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
to form a
hypanthium
In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...
(nectary tube). The nectary tube varies from only a few millimeters, up to several centimeters, and is an important floral characteristic in morphological classification.
Stamens
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
vary from 2 to 7, and their number, position relative to
staminodes
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...
, and curvature are used to identify individual species. There are five
stigmata
Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet.
Stigm ...
in the
style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
.
[ For the considerable diversity in flower morphology, see figure 1 of Röschenbleck ''et al.'' (2014)
]Leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are usually alternate, and palmately
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
lobed or pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...
, often on long stalks, and sometimes with light or dark patterns. The leaves of '' Pelargonium peltatum'' (Ivy-leaved Geranium), have a thick cuticle better adapting them for drought tolerance.
Propagation
Pelargonium are easy to propagate, just need to cut a part of the plant and put it in water to grow new roots and can be planted again. It can also be propagated by seeds, but the best option is cuttings.
Taxonomy
''Pelargonium'' is the second largest genus (after ''Geranium'') within the family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus ''Geranium''. The family includes both the genus ''Geranium'' (the cranesbills, or true geraniums) and the garden plants called ...
, within which it is sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
to the remaining genera of the family in its strict sense,[ '']Erodium
''Erodium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the botanical family Geraniaceae. The genus includes about 60 species, native to North Africa, Indomalaya, the Middle East, and Australia. They are perennials, annuals, or subshrubs, with five-peta ...
'', '' Geranium'', and ''Monsonia
''Monsonia'' is a genus of plants in the family Geraniaceae. It is named after Lady Anne Monson, 1714–76, known for her botanical knowledge and plant collecting in the Cape.
Description
''Monsonia'' consists of herbs or undershrubs often with ...
'' including ''Sarcocaulon''. The Geraniaceae have a number of genetic features unique amongst angiosperms, including highly rearranged plastid
The plastid (Greek: πλαστός; plastós: formed, molded – plural plastids) is a membrane-bound organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are considered to be intracellular endosy ...
genomes
In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding gen ...
differing in gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
content, order and expansion of the inverted repeat An inverted repeat (or IR) is a single stranded sequence of nucleotides followed downstream by its reverse complement. The intervening sequence of nucleotides between the initial sequence and the reverse complement can be any length including zero. ...
.
Genus history
The name ''Pelargonium'' was first proposed by Dillenius
Johann Jacob Dillen Dillenius (1684 – 2 April 1747) was a German botanist. He is known for his ''Hortus Elthamensis'' ("Eltham Garden") on the rare plants around Eltham, London, and for his ''Historia muscorum'' ("History of Mosses"), a natu ...
in 1732,{{sfn, Dillenius, 1732, lo
De Geraniorum Differentiis p. 149
} who described and illustrated seven species of geraniums from South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
that are now classified as ''Pelargonium''.[{{cite web , last=Handlos , first=Wayne , date=2013 , url=http://www.geraniumsonline.com/18thcentury.htm , title=18th Century: Important People, Dates and Publications in the History of ''Pelargonium'' , website=Geraniums Online , publisher=Central Coast Geranium Society , access-date=3 August 2017]{{sfn, Lis-Balchin, 2002, lo
Diana Miller. The taxonomy of ''Pelargonium'' species and cultivars: Classification history p. 52
} Dillenius, who referred to these seven species with apparent unique characteristics as ''Geranium Africanum'' (African Geranium){{sfn, Dillenius, 1732, lo
Geranium Africanum p. 151
} suggested "''Possent ergo ii, quibus novi generis cupido est, ea, quorum flores inaequales vel et irrregulares sunt, Pelargonia vocare''" (Those who wish a new genus can therefore call those, whose flowers are unequal or irregular, ‘Pelargonia’).{{sfn, Boddy, 2013, lo
Introduction p. 11
} The name was then formally introduced by Johannes Burman
Johannes Burman (26 April 1707 in Amsterdam – 20 February 1780), was a Dutch botanist and physician. Burman specialized in plants from Ceylon, Amboina and Cape Colony. The name '' Pelargonium'' was introduced by Johannes Burman.
Johannes ...
in 1738. However Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
who first formally described these plants in 1753 did not recognise ''Pelargonium'' and grouped together in the same genus (''Geranium'') the three similar genera ''Erodium'', ''Geranium'', and ''Pelargonium''.{{sfn, Linnaeus, 1753, lo
Geranium p. 676
} Linnaeus' reputation prevented further differentiation for forty years.{{sfn, Lis-Balchin, 2002, lo
Diana Miller. The taxonomy of ''Pelargonium'' species and cultivars: Classification history p. 52
} The eventual distinction between them was made by Charles L’Héritier
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
based on the number of stamens or anthers, seven in the case of ''Pelargonium''. In 1774, '' P. cordatum'', '' P. crispum'', '' P. quercifolium'' and ''P. radula'' were introduced, followed by '' P. capitatum'' in 1790.{{sfn, Taylor, 2014, lo
Pelargonium
}[
]
Circumscription
''Pelargonium'' is distinguished from the other genera in the family Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus ''Geranium''. The family includes both the genus ''Geranium'' (the cranesbills, or true geraniums) and the garden plants called ...
by the presence of a hypanthium
In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...
, which consists of an adnate
Adnate may refer to:
* Adnation, in botany, the fusion of two or more whorls of a flower
* Adnate, in mycology, a classification of lamellae (gills)
* Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are ...
nectar spur with one nectary
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...
, as well as a generally zygomorphic
Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts.
Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...
floral symmetry.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014
Subdivision
De Candolle
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
first proposed dividing the genus into 12 sections in 1824, based on the diversity of growth forms
Plant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs (forbs and graminoids), etc. The sc ...
. Traditionally the large number of ''Pelargonium'' species have been treated as sixteen sections
Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea
* Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents
** Section sig ...
,[ based on the classification of Knuth (1912) who described 15 sections, as modified by van der Walt ''et al''. (1977-1997) who added ''Chorisma'', ''Reniformia'' and ''Subsucculentia''.
These are as follows;
* section ''Campylia'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Chorisma'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Ciconium'' (Sweet) Harvey
* section ''Cortusina'' (DC.) Harvey
* section ''Glaucophyllum'' Harvey
* section ''Hoarea'' (Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Isopetalum'' (Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Jenkinsonia'' (Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Ligularia'' (Sweet) Harvey
* section ''Myrrhidium'' de Candolle
* section ''Otidia'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle
* section ''Pelargonium'' (Sweet) Harvey
* section ''Peristera'' de Candolle
* section ''Polyactium'' de Candolle
* section ''Reniformia'' (Knuth) Dreyer
* section ''Subsucculentia'' J.J.A. van der Walt
]
Phylogenetic analyses
All subdivision classifications had depended primarily on morphological differences till the era of phylogenetic analyses
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
(Price and Palmer 1993).[Robert A. Price and Jeffrey D. Palmer. Phylogenetic Relationships of the Geraniaceae and Geraniales from rbcL Sequence Comparisons. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 80, No. 3 (1993), pp. 661-671]
/ref> However phylogenetic analysis shows only three distinct clades
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, t ...
, labelled A, B and C.[ In this analysis not all sections were ]monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
although some were strongly supported including ''Chorisma'', ''Myrrhidium'' and ''Jenkinsonia'', while other sections were more paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
. This in turn has led to a proposal, informal at this stage of a reformulation of the infrageneric subdivision of ''Pelargonium''.
In the proposed scheme of Weng ''et al''. there would be two subgenera, based on clades A+B, and C respectively and seven sections based on subclades. Subsequent analysis with an expanded taxa set confirmed this infrageneric subdivision into two groups which also correspond to chromosome length (<1.5 μ, 1.5-3.0μ),{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 but also two subclades within each major clade, suggesting the presence of four subgenera, these correspond to clades A, B, C1 and C2 of the earlier analysis, A being by far the largest clade with 141 taxa. As before the internal structure of the clades supported monophyly of some sections (''Myrrhidium'', ''Chorisma'', ''Reniformia'', ''Pelargonium'', ''Ligularia'' and ''Hoarea'') but paraphyly in others (''Jenkinsonia'', ''Ciconium'', ''Peristera''). A distinct clade could be identified within the paraphyletic ''Polyactium'', designated section ''Magnistipulacea''. As a result, ''Polyactium'' has been split up to provide this new section, which in itself contains two subsections, ''Magnistipulacea'' and ''Schizopetala'', following Knuth's original treatment of ''Polyactium'' as having four subsections.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014
Thus Röschenbleck ''et al.'' (2014) provide a complete revision of the subgeneric classification of ''Pelargonium'' based on four subgenera corresponding to their major clades (A, B, C1, C2);
* subgenus ''Magnipetala'' Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium praemorsum'' (Andrews) F Dietrich
* subgenus ''Parvulipetala'' Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium hypoleucum'' Turczaninow
* subgenus ''Paucisignata'' Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium zonale
''Pelargonium zonale'' is a species of ''Pelargonium'' native to southern Africa in the western regions of the Cape Provinces, in the geranium family. It is one of the parents of the widely cultivated plant ''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'', ofte ...
'' (L.) L'Hér. in Aiton
* subgenus ''Pelargonium'' L'Hér. Type: ''Pelargonium cucullatum
''Pelargonium cucullatum'' is a hairy, upright, branching, perennial shrub, of high, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It sprouts new stems from the underground rootstock and becomes woody at its base. It has alternately set, so ...
'' (L.) Aiton{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014
Sixteen sections were then assigned to the new subgenera as follows, although many species remained only assigned to subgenera at this stage
* subgenus ''Magnipetala'' 3 sections
** section ''Chorisma'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle - 4 species
** section ''Jenkinsonia'' (Sweet) de Candolle - 11 species
** section ''Myrrhidium'' de Candolle - 8 species
* subgenus ''Parvulipetala'' 3 sections
** section ''Isopetalum'' (Sweet) de Candolle - 1 species ('' Pelargonium cotyledonis'' (L.) L'Hér.)
** section ''Peristera'' de Candolle - 30 species
** section ''Reniformia'' (Knuth) Dreyer - 8 species
* subgenus ''Paucisignata'' 2 sections
** section ''Ciconium'' (Sweet) Harvey - 16 species
** section ''Subsucculentia'' J.J.A. van der Walt - 3 species
* subgenus ''Pelargonium'' 8 sections
** section ''Campylia'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle - 9 species
** section ''Cortusina'' (DC.) Harvey - 7 species
** section ''Hoarea'' (Sweet) de Candolle - 72 species
** section ''Ligularia'' (Sweet) Harvey - 10 species
** section ''Magnistipulacea'' Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium schlecteri'' Knuth - 2 subsections
*** subsection ''Magnistipulacea'' Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium schlecteri'' Knuth - 2 species (''P. schlecteri'' & '' P. luridum'')
*** subsection ''Schizopetala'' (Knuth) Roeschenbl. & F. Albers Type: ''Pelargonium caffrum'' (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Steudel - 3 species (''P. caffrum'', ''P. bowkeri'', ''P. schizopetalum'')
** section ''Otidia'' (Lindley ex Sweet) de Candolle - 14 species
** section ''Pelargonium'' L'Hér. - 34 species
** section ''Polyactium'' de Candolle - 2 subsections
*** subsection ''Caulescentia'' Knuth - 1 species (''Pelargonium gibbosum'')
*** subsection ''Polyactium'' de Candolle - 7 species
Subgenera
Subgenus ''Magnipetala'': Corresponds to clade C1, with 24 species. Perennial to short lived, spreading subshrubs, rarely herbaceous annuals. Petals five, but may be four, colour mainly white. Mainly winter rainfall region of South Africa, spreading into summer rainfall region. One species in northern Namibia and Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
. Two species in East Africa and Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. Chromosomes x=11 and 9.
Subgenus ''Parvulipetala'': Corresponds to clade B, with 39-42 species. Perennials, partly annuals. Petals five and equal, colour white or pink to deep purplish red. Mainly South Africa, but also other southern hemisphere except South America. a few species in East Africa and Ethiopia. Chromosomes x=7-19.
Subgenus ''Paucisignata'': Corresponds to clade C2, with 25-27 species. Erect sometimes trailing shrubs or subshrubs, rarely geophytes or semi-geophytes. Petals five and equal, colour pink to red sometimes white. Summer rainfall region of South Africa, spreading into winter rainfall region and northern Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
, with a few species in tropical Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, the Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
and Asia Minor. Chromosomes x=mainly 9 or 10, but from 4-18.
Subgenus ''Pelargonium'': Corresponds to clade A, with 167 species. Frequently xerophytic
A xerophyte (from Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or places in the Alps or th ...
deciduous perennials with many geophytes
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy
(generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...
and succulent subshrubs, less frequently woody evergreen shrubs or annual herbs. Petals five, colour shades of pink to purple or yellow. Winter rainfall region of South Africa and adjacent Namibia, spreading to summer rainfall area, and two species in tropical Africa. Chromosomes x=11, may be 8-10.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014
Species
{{main, List of Pelargonium species
''Pelargonium'' has around 280 species.{{r, powo[{{cite journal, last1=Weng, first1=ML, last2=Ruhlman, first2=TA, last3=Gibby, first3=M, last4=Jansen, first4=RK, date=Sep 2012, title=Phylogeny, rate variation, and genome size evolution of Pelargonium (Geraniaceae), journal=Mol Phylogenet Evol, volume=64, issue=3, pages=654–70, doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.05.026 , pmid=22677167] Röschenbleck ''et al'' lists 281 taxa.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 There is considerable confusion as to which ''Pelargonium'' are true species, and which are cultivars or hybrids. The nomenclature has changed considerably since the first plants were introduced to Europe in the 17th century.
Distribution
''Pelargonium'' is a large genus within the family Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus ''Geranium''. The family includes both the genus ''Geranium'' (the cranesbills, or true geraniums) and the garden plants called ...
, which has a worldwide distribution in temperate to subtropical zones with some 800 mostly herbaceous species.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 ''Pelargonium'' itself is native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
(including Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
) and Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Southern Africa contains 90% of the genus, with only about 30 species found elsewhere, predominantly the East African rift valley
The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of a ...
(about 20 species) and southern Australia, including Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 The remaining few species are found in southern Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, the north of New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and isolated islands in the south Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
(Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
and Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...
) and Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen’s ...
in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 The centre of diversity
A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by N ...
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.{{sfn, Roschenbleck et al, 2014 Most of the ''Pelargonium'' plants cultivated in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
have their origins in South Africa.[{{cite web , last=Sayre , first=James K. , year=2003 , url=http://www.bottlebrushpress.com/scentedgeraniums.html , title=Scented Geraniums or Pelargoniums , publisher=Bottlebrushpress.com , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708085450/http://www.bottlebrushpress.com/scentedgeraniums.html , archive-date=2011-07-08]
Ecology
''Pelargonium'' species are eaten by the caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
species, including the noctuid moth angle shades
The angle shades (''Phlogophora meticulosa'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is distributed throughout Europe as far east as the Urals and a ...
, ''Phlogophora meticulosa''. The diurnal butterflies '' Cacyreus marshalli'' and '' C. tespis'' (Lycaenidae), native to southern Africa, also feed on ''Geranium'' and ''Pelargonium''. ''C. marshallii'' has been introduced to Europe and can develop into a pest on cultivated Pelargoniums. It has naturalised along the Mediterranean, but does not survive the winter in Westen Europe.
The Japanese beetle
The Japanese beetle (''Popillia japonica'') is a species of scarab beetle. The adult measures in length and in width, has iridescent copper-colored elytra and a green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan (where it is control ...
, an important agricultural insect pest, becomes rapidly paralyzed after consuming flower petals of the garden hybrids known as "zonal geraniums" (''P.'' × ''hortorum''). The phenomenon was first described in 1920, and subsequently confirmed. Research conducted by Dr. Christopher Ranger with the USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...
and other collaborating scientists have demonstrated the excitatory amino acid called quisqualic acid
Quisqualic acid is an agonist of the AMPA, kainate, and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors. It is one of the most potent AMPA receptor agonists known. It causes excitotoxicity and is used in neuroscience to selectively destroy neurons in ...
present within the flower petals is responsible for causing paralysis of the Japanese beetle. Quisqualic acid is thought to mimic L-glutamic acid, which is a neurotransmitter
A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a synapse. The cell receiving the signal, any main body part or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell.
Neuro ...
in the insect neuromuscular junction and mammalian central nervous system.
A study by the Laboratory of Apiculture & Social Insects group at the University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
on the attractiveness of common garden plants to pollinators
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.
Insects are the maj ...
found that a cultivar of ''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'' was unattractive to pollinators in comparison to other selected garden plants such as ''Lavandula
''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...
'' (lavender) and ''Origanum
''Origanum'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in s ...
''.[{{cite journal, title=Quantifying variation among garden plants in attractiveness to bees and other flower-visiting insects, journal=Functional Ecology, year=2013, doi=10.1111/1365-2435.12178, volume=28, issue=2, pages=364–374, last1=Garbuzov, first1=Mihail, last2=Ratnieks, first2=Francis L. W.]
Pests and diseases
{{Main, List of geranium diseases, Pelargonium flower break virus, Pelargonium line pattern virus
The geranium bronze butterfly is a pest of ''Pelargonium'' species. The larvae of the geranium bronze bore into the stem of the host plant, causing the stem to typically turn black and die soon after. Geranium bronze are currently listed as an A2 quarantine pest by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization
The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for European cooperation in plant protection in the European and Mediterranean region. Founded on April 18th, 1951 and based in Pa ...
and can cause significant damage to ''Pelargonium'' species.
Cultivation
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
Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...
from cuttings.[{{cite book , title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants , year=2008 , publisher=Dorling Kindersley , location=United Kingdom , isbn=978-1405332965 , page=1136] Zonal geraniums grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
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.
Cultivation history
The first species of ''Pelargonium'' known to be cultivated was ''P. triste'', a native of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. It was probably brought to the Botanical Garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
in Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
before 1600 on ships which had stopped at the Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
. In 1631, the English gardener John Tradescant the elder
John Tradescant the Elder (; c. 1570s – 15–16 April 1638), father of John Tradescant the Younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller. On 18 June 1607 he married Elizabeth Day of Meopham in Kent, England. She had bee ...
bought seeds from Rene Morin in Paris and introduced the plant to England. By 1724, '' P. inquinans'', '' P. odoratissimum'', '' P. peltatum'', '' P. vitifolium'', and '' P. zonale'' had been introduced to Europe.{{sfn, Taylor, 2014, lo
Pelargonium
}
Cultivars
There was little attempt at any rational grouping of ''Pelargonium'' cultivars, the growing of which was revived in the mid-twentieth century, and the origins of many if not most were lost in obscurity. In 1916 the American botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press ...
(1858–1954) introduced two new terms for zonal and regal pelargoniums. Those pelargoniums which were largely derived from '' P. zonale'' he referred to as ''P.'' × ''hortorum'' (i.e. from the garden), while those from '' P. cucullatum'' he named ''P.'' × ''domesticum'' (i.e. from the home).{{sfn, Wilkinson, 2007, lo
p. 189
} In the late 1950s a list (the Spalding List) was produced in the United States, based on nursery listings and the 1897 list of Henri Dauthenay.{{sfn, Dauthenay, 1897 It described seven groups, listing each cultivar with the list of its originator, and in most cases a date. These were Species, Zonals, Variegated-Leaved, Domesticum (Regals), Ivy-Leaved, Scented-Leaved and Old. In the 1970s the British Pelargonium and Geranium Society produced a checklist and the Australian Geranium Society started to produce a register but it was not completed till its author, Jean Llewellyn's death in 1999. None of these were published. The most complete list in its time was the 2001 compilation by The Geraniaceae Group,{{sfn, Amadio, 2015 which included all cultivars up to 1959.{{sfn, Wilkinson, 2007, lo
Appendix 2: Horticultural Classification and Glossary
}
Registration of cultivars is the responsibility of the Pelargonium & Geranium Society (PAGS: formed in 2009 from the British Pelargonium and Geranium Society and the British and European Geranium Society){{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
About us
} which administers the International Register of Pelargonium Cultivars.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
International Register of Pelargonium Cultivars
} PAGS is the International Cultivar Registration Authority
An International Cultivation Registration Authority (ICRA) is an organization responsible for ensuring that the names of plant cultivars and cultivar groups are defined and not duplicated.
The ICRA system was established more 50 years ago, and op ...
(ICRA) of the International Society for Horticultural Science
The International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) is the world's leading independent organization of horticultural scientists. Its aim is "to promote and encourage research and education in all branches of horticultural science and to fa ...
for pelargoniums.{{sfn, ISHS, 2015, lo
ICRA">International Cultivar Registration Authority, ICRA
: Pelargonium and Geranium Society}
Cultivated pelargoniums are commonly divided into six groups{{sfn, RHS, 2015, lo
''Pelargonium'' (geranium)
} in addition to species pelargoniums and primary hybrids. The following list is ordered by position in the PAGS classification.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Pelargonium Basics
} Abbreviations indicate Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
usage.{{sfn, RHS, 2015, lo
Horticultural classification for ''Pelargonium'' L'Her. ex Aiton
}
* A. Zonal (Z)
* B. Ivy-leaved (I)
* C. Regal (R)
* D. Angel (A)
* E. Unique (U)
* F. Scented-leaved (Sc)
* G. Species
* H. Primary hybrids
Of these, A, U and Sc groups are sometimes lumped together as Species Derived (Sppd). This term implies that they are closely related to a species from which they were derived, and do not fit into the R, I or Z groups.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
In addition to the primary groups, additional descriptors are used. The Royal Horticultural Society has created description codes. These include;{{sfn, RHS, 2015, lo
Horticultural classification for ''Pelargonium'' L'Her. ex Aiton
}
* Cactus (Ca)
* Coloured foliage (C)
* Decorative (Dec)
* Double (d)
* Dwarf (Dw)
* Dwarf Ivy-leaved (Dwl)
* Frutetorum (Fr)
* Miniature (Min)
* Miniature Ivy-leaved (MinI)
* Stellar (St)
* Tulip (T)
* Variegated (v)
These may then be combined to form the code, ''e.g.'' ''Pelargonium'' 'Chelsea Gem' (Z/d/v), indicating Zonal Double with variegated foliage. Crosses between groups are indicated with an ×, ''e.g.'' ''Pelargonium'' 'Hindoo' (R × U), indicating a Regal × Unique cross.
A. Zonal pelargoniums (''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'' Bailey)
These are known as zonal geraniums because many have zones or patterns in the center of the leaves, this is the contribution of the ''Pelargonium zonale
''Pelargonium zonale'' is a species of ''Pelargonium'' native to southern Africa in the western regions of the Cape Provinces, in the geranium family. It is one of the parents of the widely cultivated plant ''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'', ofte ...
'' parent. Common names include storksbill, fish or horseshoe geraniums.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
} They are also referred to as ''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'' Bailey. Zonal pelargoniums are tetraploid
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...
, mostly derived from '' P. inquinans'' and '' P. zonale'', together with ''P. scandens'' and ''P. frutetorum''.{{sfn, RHS, 2015, lo
''Pelargonium'' (geranium)
}
Zonal pelargoniums are mostly bush-type plants with succulent stems grown for the beauty of their flowers, traditionally red, salmon, violet, white or pink. The scarlet colouring is attributed to the contribution of ''P. inquinans''.{{sfn, Taylor, 2014, lo
Pelargonium
} Flowers may be double or single. They are the pelargoniums most often confused with genus '' Geranium'', particularly in summer bedding arrangements. This incorrect nomenclature is widely used in horticulture, particularly in North America.{{sfn, Taylor, 2014, lo
Pelargonium
}
Zonals include a variety of plant types along with genetic hybrids such as hybrid ivy-leaved varieties that display little or no ivy leaf characteristics (the Deacons varieties), or the Stellar varieties. Hybrid zonals are crosses between zonals and either a species or species-derived pelargonium.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
} There are hundreds of zonal cultivars available for sale, and like other cultivars are sold in series such as 'Rocky Mountain', each of which is named after its predominant colour, ''e.g.'' 'Rocky Mountain Orange', 'White', 'Dark Red', ''etc''.
*(i) Basic plants – Mature plants with foliage normally exceeding {{convert, 180, mm, in, 0, abbr=on in height above the rim of the pot. For exhibition these should be grown in a pot exceeding {{convert, 120, mm, in, frac=4, abbr=on in diameter but not normally exceeding {{convert, 165, mm, in, frac=2, abbr=on.
*(ii) Dwarf plants – Smaller than basic. Mature plants with foliage more than {{convert, 125, mm, in, 0, abbr=on above the rim of the pot, but not normally more than {{convert, 180, mm, in, 0, abbr=on. For exhibition should be grown in a pot exceeding {{convert, 90, mm, in, frac=2, abbr=on but not exceeding {{convert, 120, mm, in, frac=4, abbr=on. They should not exceed 200 mm in height, grown in an 11 cm pot.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
*(iii) Miniature plants – Slowly growing pelargoniums. Mature plants with foliage normally less than {{convert, 125, mm, in, 0, abbr=on above the rim of the pot. For exhibition should be grown in a pot not exceeding {{convert, 90, mm, in, frac=2, abbr=on. They should not exceed 125 mm in height, grown in a 9 cm pot.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
*(iv) Micro-miniature plants – Smaller and more slowly growing than miniature pelargoniums. Mature plants with foliage normally less than {{convert, 100, mm, in, 0, abbr=on above the rim of the pot. They should not exceed 75 mm in height, grown in a 6 cm pot.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
} Usually no separate classes for these in exhibition and will therefore normally be shown as Miniature Zonals.
*(v) Deacon varieties –Genetic hybrid similar to a large Dwarf. For exhibition (when shown in a separate class), usually grown in a pot not exceeding {{convert, 125, mm, in, 0, abbr=on, otherwise as for Dwarf Zonals.
*(vi) Stellar varieties – A relatively modern genetic hybrid originating from the work done by the Australian hybridiser Ted Both in the late 1950s and 1960s from crosses between Australian species and Zonal types. Easily identifiable by their distinctive half-star-shaped leaves and slim-petalled blooms which create an impression of being star shaped (or five fingered). Single varieties tend to have larger elongated triangular petals whereas doubles tend to have thin feathered petals that are tightly packed together. For exhibition purposes there is a separate class for 'Stellar' varieties, but being Zonals could be shown in an open class for Basic, Dwarf or Miniature Zonals (unless otherwise stated). Also known as "The Five-fingered Geraniums", "Staphysagroides", "Both’s Staphs", "Both’s Hybrid Staphs", "Fingered Flowers" and "Bodey’s Formosum Hybrids".{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
Fancy-leaf zonal pelargoniums – besides having green leaves with or without zoning, this group also have variable coloured foliage{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
} that is sometimes used in classifying for exhibition purposes, ''e.g.'' ‘Bicolour’, ‘Tricolour’, ‘Bronze’ or ‘Gold’. Other foliage types are: ‘Black’ or ‘Butterfly’. There are an increasing number of these plants with showy blooms;
*(a) Bicolour – includes those with white or cream veined leaves or those with two distinct colours with clearly defined edges, other than the basic zone.
*(b) Tricolour – (May be Silver Tricolour (usually called a Silver Leaf) or a Gold Tricolour).
**(i) Gold Tricolour – Leaves of many colours including red and gold, but usually with clearly defined edges of golden yellow and having a leaf zone, usually red or bronze, that overlays two or more of the other distinct leaf colours, so that the zone itself appears as two or more distinct colours.
**(ii) Silver Tricolour or Silver Leaf – These tend to resemble a normal bi-colour leaf plant with two distinct colours usually of green and pale cream or white; the third colour is usually made up of bronze zoning. When this zoning overlays the green part of the leaf it is deemed to represent a silver colour.
*(c) Bronze Leaved – Leaves of Green or Golden/Green with a heavy bronze or chestnut coloured centre zone which is known as a medallion. For exhibition purposes, when exhibited in specific ‘Bronze’ Leaf class – Must have over 50% of leaf surface bronze coloured. The dwarf plant ‘Overchurch’ which has a heavy bronze medallion.
*(d) Gold Leaved – Leaves coloured golden/yellow or green/yellow but not showing a tendency to green. For exhibition purposes, when exhibited in specific ‘Gold’ Leaf class – Must have over 50% of leaf surface gold coloured.
*(e) Black Leaved – Leaves coloured black, purple-black or with distinct large dark zones or centre markings on green.
*(f) Butterfly Leaved – Leaves with a butterfly marking of distinct tone or hue in centre of leaf. This can be encompassed in many of the coloured leaf varieties.
Zonal pelargoniums have many flower types, as follows:{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
*(a) Single flowered (S) – each flower pip normally having no more than five petals. This is the standard flower set for all Pelargoniums.
*(b) Semi-double flowered (SD) – each flower pip normally having between six and nine petals.
*(c) Double flowered (D)– each flower pip composed of more than nine petals (i.e. double the standard flower set) but not ‘hearted’ like the bud of a rose, ''e.g.'' the dwarf ‘Dovepoint’ which has full double blooms.
*(d) Rosebud (or noisette) flowered – each bloom fully double and ‘hearted’. The middle petals are so numerous that they remain unopened like the bud of a rose.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
*(e) Tulip flowered – having semi-double blooms that never fully open. The large cup shaped petals open just sufficiently to resemble a miniature tulip.
*(f) Bird's-egg group – having blooms with petals that have spots in a darker shade than the base colour, like many birds eggs.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
*(g) Speckled flowered group – having petals that are marked with splashes and flecks of another colour, ''e.g.'' ‘Vectis Embers’.
*(h) Quilled (or cactus-flowered group, or poinsettia in USA) – having petals twisted and furled like a quill.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
“Zonquil” pelargoniums result from a cross between Zonal pelargonium cultivars and ''P. quinquelobatum''.{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}
B. Ivy-leaved pelargoniums (derived from ''Pelargonium peltatum'')
Also known as "ivy geraniums".{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
}Usually of lax growth (trailing), mainly due to the long thin stems, with thick, waxy ivy-shaped stiff fleshy evergreen leaves developed by the species ''P. peltatum'' to retain moisture during periods of drought. Much used for hanging pots, tubs and basket cultivation. In the UK the bulbous double-headed types are preferred whilst on the European continent the balcon single types for large-scale hanging floral displays are favoured. Ivy-leaved pelargoniums embrace all such growth size types including small-leaved varieties and genetic hybrid crosses, which display little or no zonal characteristics. May have bicolour leaves and may have flowers that are single, double or rosette. Ivy pelargoniums are often sold as series such as 'Great Balls of Fire', in a variety of colours such as 'Great Balls of Fire Burgundy'.
Additional descriptive terms include;{{sfn, PAGS, 2015, lo
Horticultural symbols and terms
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* Hybrid Ivy — the result of ivy × zonal crosses, but still more closely resemble ivy-leaved pelargoniums.
* Fancy leaf — leaves with marked color variation, together with or other than green.
* Miniature — miniature leaves and flowers, stems with short nodes, and compact growth. ''e.g.'' 'Sugar Baby' listed as Dwarf Ivy (DwI) by RHS.{{sfn, RHS, 2015, lo
Horticultural classification for ''Pelargonium'' L'Her. ex Aiton
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C. Regal pelargoniums (''Pelargonium'' × ''domesticum'' Bailey)
These are large bush-type