Any of the about 300 species of perennial herbs or shrubs of the family Geraniaceae, which are primarily indigenous to subtropical southern Africa, are geraniums (genus Geranium), also known as cranesbills. The most popular plants for greenhouses and bedding are geraniums. Around 280 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbaceous plants known as geraniums belong to the closely related genus Pelargonium.
The Pelargonium genus contains cultivated geraniums that range in texture from herbaceous to woody, with thick fleshy leaves that can be spherical, lobed, or deeply cut. The terminal clusters of flowers range in colour from white through pinkish hues to deep crimson and violet. Hybrids make up the majority of cultivated species. There are options for ragged or frilled petals, varied colours, and double blooms. Geraniums can also be grown from seed, though they are typically propagated via stem cuttings, from which flowering plants can be generated in four to five months. A line of seed geraniums that are useful for bedding because of their uniform symmetry, lengthened flower stalks, and propensity for quick and tidy flower petal shedding has been developed through breeding and selection.
Is a geranium a perennial or annual plant?
Geraniums actually belong to two different botanical subgroups. The perennial varieties are the real geraniums. The geraniums that most people envision when they go plant shopping are the annual bedding varieties with flowers that resemble lollipops and are mounted on stick stems. The plant genus Pelargonium includes several bedding plants. Ivy geraniums, aromatic geraniums, and Martha Washington geraniums are just a few of the numerous additional geraniums that belong in the Pelargonium genus.
A herb, are geraniums?
Learn how to create geranium tea, geranium oil infusions, or a geranium compress, as well as the healing properties of geraniums.
The geranium is not only a lovely garden plant, but it also has medicinal uses. Small glands located around the leaf and blooms of this South African native plant generate essential oils. When the plant begins to bloom, geranium oil can be obtained and used two or three times a year.
When diluted with water, geranium oil can be applied topically to aid in cleaning the face or used in bathwater. It is claimed to help balance out dry or oily skin and hair and has excellent antibacterial effects as well. The flowers and leaves can also be used to produce an oil infusion or tea. The geranium can be used as a cooking herb and is thought to be harmless for the majority of people, though individuals with autoimmune diseases and those who are pregnant should avoid it.
The geranium has calming properties in addition to its astringent ones, which assist to lessen anxiety symptoms as well as PMS and menopausal symptoms. The geranium is said to relieve sleeplessness and varicose veins in addition to treating bruises, cuts, and scrapes, eczema, haemorrhoids, nail fungus, and sunburns. The ancient world was aware of its effectiveness as a natural insect repellent as well as a tick deterrent for both humans and canines.
Creating Geranium Tea:
Geranium leaves, whether fresh or dried, can be brewed into a tea. Use two teaspoons for dried leaves and one and a half cups for fresh. After covering the leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, wait 5 minutes. Remove the leaves and sip.
Making A Geranium Compress:
The dried geranium herbs should be soaked in boiling water. Allow to stand for 15 minutes with a tight cover. Remove the herb via a strainer, leaving the infused water behind. A cotton cloth should be soaked in the infusion and squeezed out until it is only moist. Place the compress on.
How to Prepare an Infusion with Geranium Oil:
The dry herbs should practically fill the entire jar. Pour extra virgin olive oil over the herbs, making sure that it rises one volume over the botanicals. Shaking it every day, expose it to the light for two weeks. Filter the flowers out. This infusion will keep for up to three months in the refrigerator.
Did you know that geraniums may be cultivated successfully indoors all year round? You probably already know that geraniums thrive outdoors, in summer flower beds or containers.
Geraniums from your garden can be brought within to survive the winter. There are two typical methods for doing this: first, you can move the rooted geranium cuttings to grow in pots on a sunny windowsill. Second, you can take top-growth cuttings that are four to five inches tall and root them in a good cutting media. Alternately, you might dig up the entire geranium from your garden, prune it to a height of six inches, and then allow it to recover naturally in a suitable-sized container.
Geraniums benefit from biweekly fertilising, either soluble fertiliser put to the water or slow-release fertiliser given to the pot soil. Geraniums love to dry out a little between waterings.
A geranium – is it a succulent?
The 280 species of pelargoniums have asymmetrical blooms with seven stamens. The genera Pelargonium and Monsonia (Sarcocaulon), which have both summer and winter growers, are home to some of the best succulent and caudiciform plants. There are 15 stamens in Monsonia blooms.
The largest species of Geranium, this one has purple woody stems that support an umbrella of glossy green, finely divided leaves that measures 3 feet in diameter. The plant typically dies (goes monocarpic) after flowering every two years, but in damp areas, the huge head of pink flowers with wine-dark centres may appear sooner. The hairs on flower stalks are sticky.
the Madeira Islands’ native species. Needs a Winter that is primarily frost-free, although in their second year, they could be utilised as summer bedding. There is a white cultivar in use.
L’Hritier, Pelargonium, 1789 Name: Pelargos is a Greek word that means “stork” and refers to seed pods that look like storks’ bills.
a sizable genus with 280 species, the bulk of which are indigenous to South Africa. They are common, low-maintenance flowering plants that can be collected by caudiciform plant enthusiasts. They range from non-succulent herbs to shrubby plants with fleshy leaves, stems, and roots or tubers. A few species have spines that protect their stems. Many species have hairy leaves and stems.
The majority of the time, leaves are alternating, palmately lobed or pinnate, and frequently have lengthy petioles. Zones of light or dark patterning may be visible on the leaf surface. The majority of colours are present among the numerous species of the asymmetrical five-petalled blooms.
Although the horticultural commerce mostly concentrates on non-succulent cultivars with a small genetic background representing only a few of the wild species, pelargoniums are significant decorative plants. Numerous hybrids and cultivars are offered in a variety of hues, including white, pink, red, purple, maroon, and variegated petals. Although found in many species, such as P. gibbosum, yellow(ish) flowers represent a more recent development in horticultural cultivars.
Many Pelargonium species, particularly P. graveolens, generate fragrant oils with a variety of flavours, including rose, mint, citrous, apple, and nutmeg. The rose-scented varieties are the most significant in terms of commerce. P. graveolens is extensively grown for its essential oils, which are used to make perfumes.
Succulent A free-draining compost that should be allowed to dry out in between waterings should be used to pot up pelargoniums. Pelargoniums can be multiplied by taking stem cuttings; these cuttings should be made immediately below a leaf joint because this is where the new roots will develop.
Bowker’s pelargonium Harvey 1862 named for Henry Bowker, a soldier and naturalist who collected the plant in the 19th century.
a geophytic succulent plant that develops from a sizable underground tuber and has a mass of pinnate feathery leaves. A group of pale yellow-green blooms held tight to the leaves make up the inflorescence.
L’Hritier’s Pelargonium carnosum, 1789 Latin name means “fleshy, succulent,” and it refers to the stems.
A varied, shrubby succulent plant with thick, waxy stems that can reach heights of 4 feet, a thicker root, and yellow-green leaves. The bipinnate leaves are generated in tufts from growth sites along the stem and crisped to varying degrees. A cluster of white flowers with brilliant pink styles and orange pollen-coated stamens make up the inflorescence.
L’Hritier’s 1789 Pelargonium cotyledonis (Old Father Live For Ever) Name: having leaves that look like cotyledons.
A handful of the branches of this shrubby, slow-growing plant are thickened and succulent. The summertime production of the simple, deeply veined leaves occurs towards the developing tips of the stems. A group of rather big white flowers with white styles, stamens, and pollen make up the inflorescence, which has a long stem.
Being the only Pelargonium species native to the island of St. Helena puts it in danger from goat predation and invasive introduced New Zealand Flax.
Plantago crithmifolia 1793 J.E. Smith Name: leaves that resemble Rock Samphire leaves (Crithmum)
This succulent shrub has thick, knobby stems that grow to a height of about two feet. At growth places on the stem, the succulent, bipinnate leaves are produced in tufts. A cluster of white flowers with pink lines on the underside of the top pair of petals, a red style, and stamens with yellow pollen make up the inflorescence.
a tiny, scented plant with five lobes on deciduous, smooth-stemmed leaves. The flowers contain orange pollen on purple stamens and white petals with a purple hue.
P. echinatum (Curtis, 1795) Latin for “furnished with spines” is Echinatum.
This shrubby succulent plant has thick, sprawling branches that are covered in thorns that start as persistent, recurved stipules. It can reach heights of up to three feet. Tuberous roots exist. The heart-shaped, crenate-margin summer-deciduous leaves have a crenate edge. A globular cluster of white to pink flowers with red spots of various sizes towards the base of the petals makes up the inflorescence.
native to the Richtersveld region of South Africa’s cliffs and stony soil. In order to give the plant time to rest throughout the summer, water should be withheld in cultivation.
Fruticosum Pelargonium Willdenow 1800 (Fern Leaf Geranium) Name: fruticosum (Latin for “shrubby”)
This shrubby species has smooth brown stems with trifoliate, slightly succulent, bright green leaves that are highly split. Two or three light to dark pink blooms with darker pink patterns are carried on flower stalks.
L’Hritier’s Pelargonium gibbosum, 1789 Name: The stem nodes are referred to as gibbosum, which is Latin for unevenly inflated.
a sprawling subshrub with thickened stems that produces a mass of glaucous, semi-succulent, pinnate growth each year. A panicle of night-scented yellow flowers that contrasts attractively with the foliage makes up the inflorescence.
a woody shrub with succulent, pinnate leaves on its stalks. The stems’ persistent petioles give the impression of having spines. The foliage has a pleasant aroma that is reminiscent of thyme. The little blooms have delicate red lines on the upper petals and range in colour from white to pale yellow.
A shrubby plant that borders on being succulent, with smooth reddish-brown stems and slender, softly inrolled lanceolate to trifoliate leaves. The petals of the blooms are white, cream, or pink with reddish-purple patterns in the centre, while the stamens are pink. The seeds have a spirally coiled tail that spins in the wind and allows them to drill into the soil.
Jacquin 1797, Pelargonium paniculatum Name: panicle, which has a branching cluster of flowers
a succulent shrub with few branches that has a tall, 3 foot trunk decorated with persistent petioles and a head of pinnate succulent leaves. In the summer, leaves turn over. A panicle of tiny white flowers with pink patterns on the undersides of the upper pair of petals, a white style, and white stamens with orange pollen make up the inflorescence.
a sprawling succulent plant with fleshy, five-lobed, tiny, peltate leaves that may show zonation. Flowers have hairy buds. Although plants with hairy leaves have been seen in the Eastern Cape, other regions are typically smooth.
native to the Cape region of South Africa. A lot of horticultural cultivars have this plant as their ancestor.
L’Hritier’s 1789 plant, Pelargonium aff. rapaceum Name: The word “rapa” (Latin for “turnip”) refers to the shape of the tuber.
During the Winter growth season, this geophytic succulent, which has a caudex up to 8 inches in diameter, develops a tuft of pinnate, sharply split leaves. After the leaves have fallen off in the summer, flower stems with clusters of white to yellow flowers and red petioles emerge. Red markings and reflexed petals on the top.
Pelargonium saxifragoides NE Brown 1890 Name: Saxifragoides refers to the dwarf habit and meaning “resembling a saxifrage.”
This succulent plant was found in 1888 growing in the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden in Chiswick, but its provenance is unknown. It is believed to be of garden origin. It most likely is a P. peltatum hybrid. The edges of the tiny, fleshy, dark-green leaves are somewhat thickened.
L’Hritier’s 1789 plant, Pelargonium tetragonum Name: Tetragonium (Greek for four + angled, alluding to the stem.)
a scrambling plant that produces non-succulent deciduous leaves at the stem joints on branching, three- or four-angled succulent stems. Zone markings and a certain amount of pubescence are possible on leaves. A cluster of cream to pink flowers with red streaks on their upper petals make up the inflorescence.
Despite the fact that the foliage is not aromatic, this is one of the few species with succulent stems that is widely used in the horticultural industry.
Sad Pelargonium 1789 L’Hritier Name: (Latin for sorrowful or dull, referring to the colour of flowers.
A huge caudex and a spreading, tuberous root, from which the seasonal foliage emerges, are concealed by the large pinnate leaves. There are several variations in leaf structure and stem and leaf hairiness.
native to South Africa’s Western and South-Western Cape. One of the original South African Pelargoniums that John Tradescant brought to England in 1632. Linnaeus initially called this plant Geranium triste.
1767 Monsonia Linneaeus (Bushman Candles) named after: Lady Anne Monson, Charles II’s great-granddaughter
a collection of upright, woody sub-shrubs with waxy bark, spines, and some degree of stem or root succulence. Sarcocaulon, a previous caudiciform genus, has been included into Monsonia. Some former Sarcocaulons get their popular name because of their waxy bark and resinous exudates, which make them combustible even when the stems are green.
Monsonias require strong sunlight and regular watering to survive because they are native to hot, dry climates. When in active growth, Caudiciform Monsonias should receive very little water, or just a light misting every now and then to prevent dehydration.
Monsonia with spiny stems, North Escarpment, and Nieuwoudtville, RSA. Small pink blossoms on this stem succulent can just be made out in the image. Herbivores in this dry environment are put off by the vicious spines.