''Pelargonium quercifolium'' is a species of

geranium ''Geranium'' is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in ...

known by the common name oakleaf geranium or oak-geranium. It is native to

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 ...

, and it is a commonly grown

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

. It is in the subgenus pelargonium along with

Pelargonium crispum ''Pelargonium crispum'' (the "crisped-leaf pelargonium") is a ''Pelargonium'' species native to the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It is in the subgenus ''Pelargonium'' along with ''Pelargonium graveolens'' and ''Pelargonium capitatum'' and ...

and Pelargonium tomentosum.

Etymology

Pelargonium comes from the Greek; Pelargos which means

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 ...

. Another name for pelargoniums is storksbills due to the shape of their fruit. Quercifolium refers to the oak shaped leaves (oak - ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'').

Description

''Pelargonium quercifolium'' is a densely branching

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 ...

easily exceeding one meter in height, taller than wide. The stems are soft and coated in green hairs when young and become woody with age. The glandular, sticky, aromatic leaves are divided into 5 or 7 stiff, coarsely toothed lobes. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is an

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 ...

of up to 10 flowers with five petals up to 2.5 centimeters long. The flowers are pink with darker pink markings.

Cultivars and hybrids

There are many cultivars of ''Pelargonium quercifolium'' and a few hybrids. These include: *''Pelargonium quercifolium'' 'Fair Ellen' - A variety with almond scented leaves, pink flowers and dark blotches on the leaves. *''Pelargonium quercifolium'' 'Giant Oak' - A variety with particularly large almond/balsam scented leaves, pink flowers and dark blotches on the leaves. *''Pelargonium quercifolium'' 'Royal Oak' - A variety with almond/balsam scented leaves, pink flowers and dark leaf veins. *''Pelargonium'' 'Chocolate Peppermint' - A hybrid between ''P.'' 'Giant Oak' and '' Pelargonium tomentosum''. It has dark blotches in the centre of the leaves (hence 'chocolate') and a slight minty scent although it is officially classified as pungent scented. *''Pelargonium'' 'Clorinda' - A hybrid between ''P. quercifolium'' and an unknown regal pelargonium. It has sweet, very aromatic oak shaped leaves. Its large pink flowers are courtesy of the regal in its parentage and it goes on flowering for months (spring - summer). *There are a group of 7 pelargoniums bred by Edna Popperwell (UK plantswoman) which all have ''P. quercifolium'' and a Regal Pelargonium in their parentage. They range in scents from almond/cedar like ''P. quercifolium'' to

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAES g ...

and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

. They are 'Ashby' (rose scented), 'Brunswick' (cedar), 'Copthorne' (cedar), Fairlop (mint/spicy), 'Hemley', 'Orsett' and 'Welling' (all sweetly scented).

Uses

As well as being a houseplant or outdoor perennial depending on climate, the leaves are very aromatic and can be used in something like

potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentScentedGeraniums Nursery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15208935 quercifolium Flora of South Africa