''Pelargonium zonale'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

of ''

Pelargonium ''Pelargonium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''Geranium'' is also the botanical name and common name of a sepa ...

'' native 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 ...

in the western regions of the

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sou ...

, in the geranium family. It is one of the parents of the widely cultivated plant ''Pelargonium'' × ''hortorum'', often called "geranium", "zonal geranium" or "zonal pelargonium".

Etymology

The genus name ''Pelargonium'', in

scientific Latin Contemporary Latin is the form of the Literary Latin used since the end of the 19th century. Various kinds of contemporary Latin can be distinguished, including the use of New Latin words in taxonomy and in science generally, and the fuller ec ...

, derives from the Greek ''pelargós (πελαργός)'', designating the

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 a ...

, the shape of the fruit evoking the beak of the bird. The specific epithet ''zonale'' is the neutral inflected form of the Latin ''zonalis'' "relative to the zone", with reference to the brown zone on the leaf. ''Pelargonium zonale'' was collected by Henrik Bernard Oldenland in 1689 at Meiringspoort Pas. The species was described by the Dutch botanist

Jan Commelijn Jan Commelin (23 April 1629 – 19 January 1692), also known as Jan Commelijn, Johannes Commelin or Johannes Commelinus, was a botanist, and was the son of historian Isaac Commelin; his brother Casparus was a bookseller and newspaper publisher. ...

(1629–1692) and illustrated with a watercolor by Maria Moninckx.

Description

''Pelargonium zonale'' is an upright or scrambling shrub, normally growing to about in height. Its stems are succulent, hairy when young and becoming woody with age. The leaves often have a narrow, dark,

zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

"zone" of pigmentation, giving rise to both the scientific and common names. The flowers are borne in 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'' " ...

; individual flowers are markedly

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 spiral ...

. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s are narrow and a bright, deep pink, with reddish lines along the petals' length. Leaves are reniform and petiolate with an average diameter of 5 to 8 cm.

Cultivation

In the 16th century, Pelargonium seeds were transported from Africa to Leiden in the Netherlands, where the plant was grown in the botanical garden there. Within a few years, it reached the British Isles, France, Italy and Spain and became popular. It gradually reached the islands of the Caribbean, and in the 17th century it was already known in North America. Today it is naturalized in many subtropical and tropical countries and in colder areas must be grown indoors. Plants can be obtained from seeds or vegetatively. The hard-coated seeds germinate within 14 days at about 20° C. once the seed coat is compromised.

Micropropagation Micropropagation or tissue culture is the practice of rapidly multiplying plant stock material to produce many progeny plants, using modern plant tissue culture methods. Micropropagation is used to multiply a wide variety of plants, such as th ...

has been used commercially since the 20th century. 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 ...

climate zones, plants are set out in gardens in the spring, then can be dug prior to the first freeze and brought indoors to overwinter; they can be re-planted in the spring.

Hybridization

This species, when hybridized with closely related species, has yielded a group of hybrid plants referred to as

Pelargonium x hortorum ''Pelargonium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''Geranium'' is also the botanical name and common name of a separa ...

. These hybrids are usually referred to by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

"zonal geranium".

Gallery

File:Pelargonium zonale umbel opening.jpg, Half opening umbel of a ''Pelargonium zonale'' File:Pelargonium zonale umbel.jpg, Umbel of a ''Pelargonium zonale'' File:Pelargonium colors.jpg, Pelargoniums in various colors

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3898877 zonale