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Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 200 species of perennial, succulent, and shrub plants, commonly known as geraniums. Confusingly, Geranium is the correct botanical name of the separate genus that contains the related Cranesbills. Both genera are in the Family Geraniaceae. Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’Héritier in 1789. Gardeners sometimes refer to the members of Genus Pelargonium as "pelargoniums" in order to avoid the confusion, but the older common name is still in regular use.
History and use The first species of Pelargonium known to be cultivated was Pelargonium triste, a native of South Africa. It was probably brought to the botanical garden in Leiden before 1600 on ships that stopped at the Cape of Good Hope. In 1631, the English gardener John Tradescant the elder bought seeds from Rene Morin in Paris and introduced the plant to England. The name Pelargonium was introduced by Johannes Burman in 1738. Other then grown for their esthetic qualities, species of Pelargonium such as P. graveolens are important in the perfume industry and are cultivated and distilled for its scent. Although scented Pelargonium exist that have smells of citrus, mint, or various fruits, it is the varieties with rose scents are most commercially important. Pelargonium distillates and absolutes, commonly known as "scented geranium oil" are sometimes used to supplement or adulterate expensive rose oils. Pelargonium species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Angle Shades. Cultivars Species of Pelargonium are indigenous to Southern Africa and are drought and heat tolerant, and can only tolerate minor frosts. Pelargoniums are extremely popular garden plants, grown as annuals in temperate climates, and thousands of ornamental cultivars have been developed from about 20 of the species. Structural variations Pelargonium leaves are usually alternate, and palmately lobed or pinnate, often on long stacks, and sometimes with light or dark patterns. The erect stems bear five-petaled flowers in umbel-like clusters called pseudoumbels. The shapes of the flowers have been bred to a variety ranging star-shaped to funnel-shaped, and colors include white, pink, red, orange-red, fuchsia to deep purple. In early 2006 a long-awaited yellow-flowered variety was launched. Called the Guernsey Flair, it was supplied exclusively to the television shopping channel QVC in the UK, and all available plants were sold within a few minutes. See photo of yellow geranium. The flower has a much yellower hue than the cream-colored varieties that some developers had called yellow previously. Horticultural pelargoniums (as opposed to botanical, the wild 'species') fall into six major groups, with zonals subdivided further: Image Gallery Image:Geranium close.jpg| P. x domesticum Image:Geranium close2.JPG | "Martha Washington" Image:Pelargonium sp3.JPG|native Pelargonium in South Africa Namaqualand Image:Pelargonium hybride Stellar.JPG|Pelargonium Stellar, a cultivar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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