If you point to a geranium at a garden shop, you're actually probably identifying Pelargonium, a member of a group of plants which have commonly come to be called ‘geraniums.' While showy and beautiful, their petals are unsymmetrical and they don’t stand up well to frost and do best in an exposed, sunny location. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But for the last 40 years or so, true geraniums (Geranium spp.) For those who don’t quite get the difference, here’s a quick summary: Originally, pelargoniums had asymmetrical flowers, but that trait has been bred out of many of them. Though they are often called geraniums, that is not correct. Often grown as annuals, they produce flowers of breathtaking beauty over a long season. I’m looking for a quick guide to tell true geraniums apart from pelargoniums. Linnaeus thought the plants were close enough relatives to put both types in the genus Geranium. Of course, the two plant genera, Pelargonium and Geranium are closely related. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. Geraniums and pelargoniums are often conflated, and it's true they're in the same plant family. The terms geraniums and pelargoniums are often used interchangeably, but in … Read more. ( Log Out / Come spring, the plants will rocket away, bush up … If you used the word “geranium”, everyone understood you. were actually pelargoniums, that is, they don’t belong to the genus Geranium, but instead to the genus Pelargonium. True geraniums are perennial and commonly called cranesbills. Pelargoniums, commonly known as geraniums, are a large group of mostly evergreen and tender perennials used as bedding or houseplants. or Geraniums as they are commonly known and still referred to, are great perennial plants for the easy care gardener.They require little attention once established and thrive in hot, dry conditions. Pelargoniums have feathered seeds, shaped like a stork’s bill, which are dispersed by the wind. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In fact, the botanical names both refer to this phenomenon. | Kiyanti2008's Weblog, Are We Participating In The Spekboom Challenge? If it’s just a few leaves and the rest of the plant is looking robust enough then I’d suggest it could be a sudden change in temperature or some other harmless occurrence. This is Geranium sanguineum, a true geranium. Zonal geraniums, the most popular and widely known geraniums, are actually not geraniums at all. There are true geraniums, which are often called hardy geraniums and cranesbill. Again, most gardeners already know the difference and are familiar with the term “pelargonium” even if they don’t yet use it. Hence, why pelargoniums were also referred to as storksbill by the early enthusiasts. The true geranium is found in many parts of the world, while most pelargoniums have their origins in South Africa. I think it’s time to stop pussyfooting around. So why call them scented geraniums? What is the difference between a geranium and a pelargonium? Generally I am very successful with geraniums but I have a love bushy pelargonium but not flowering. It’s better for me not to beak ….. now I know for sure that all my geraniums are actually pelargoniums. My geraniums aren’t looking very well – why? 30. At that time, the first pelargoniums which were brought to Europe from South Africa were called geraniums, due to their similarity to the domestic perennial plant. The first Pelargoniums were exported from the fairest Cape by John Tradescant in the 1600’s and from these thousands of new hybrids have been bred. In fact, there are several different kinds. And while they are in the Geraniaceae family, they differ fro… You may think that red, pink, or white annual flowering plants with thick pleated leaves are called \"geraniums,\" since everyone calls them that. Both belong to the same plant family, the Geraniaceae, and both have the same long, narrow, beak-shaped seed capsule that springs open when ripe and casts the seeds far and wide. The 'new' plants were re-classified as Pelargoniums, with both the Geranium and the Pelargonium classified as genera of the Geraniaceae Family. Pelargonium is derived from the Greek word for stork, because the seed capsule is said to resemble a stork’s bill, while Geranium means crane, because it’s supposed to look like a crane’s bill. They look so great in pots and window boxes, and they are one of the most popular container plants. - Small Scale Engineering. ( Log Out / Get involved. Various types of Pelargonium are regular participants in flower shows and competitive events, with numerous societies devoted exclusively to their cultivation. I also have a number of what I thought were geraniums, but now know are pelargoniums doing ok (tend to get very leggy), and they survive winter outside no worries – however, we rarely get snow and do not get frosts, so maybe that is why? I hope you don’t mind if I link this blog to mine. Geraniums may be identified visually by looking at the leaves. Botanically, they are called Pelargonium. Zonal geraniums grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 through 12. Difference Between Geraniums and Pelargoniums, How to Collect Geranium Seeds from Plant (With Pictures), A Guide to Using a Heat Mat for Geranium Seedlings, How to Hand-Pollinate Geranium Flowers (Part 1), Crossing a Zonal Geranium with an Ivy Geranium (Interspecifics). Geranium flowers come in a variety of colors. You might be surprised to know that these common plants are not geraniums at all. Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are scented Pelargoniums different from … You may say po-TAE-to and I may say po-TAH-to, but let’s all say geranium when we mean Geranium and pelargonium when we mean Pelargonium. They are all part of the Geraniaceae plant family. Which is which. Do hardy geraniums die back in winter? Geraniums are among the most popular of bedding and greenhouse plants. Pelargoniums are commonly called geraniums, but they are actually kind of taxonomic cousins. For over 200 years now, gardeners have known that their garden geraniums (zonal geraniums, scented geraniums, ivy geraniums, etc.) Hi hope you can help me. Plants in the genus Geranium are also commonly used in gardens, but are typically referred to as hardy geraniums or cranesbills.). This not only helps prevent overgrown geraniums, but will also reduce or fix leggy geranium plants. I have several of the “true” geraniums doing very well (aka taking over some areas) in my temperate/sub-alpine shady garden (Victoria, Australia). Charles L’Hertier, an 18th-century French botanist, decided to separate them into two different genera. The original (incorrect) classification persists. They are a bit ugly now, but after the Winter Solstice, they will snap out of their funk and grow abundantly. My guess is that all your plants are pelargoniums. Geraniums are one of the most popular bedding plants, and while they are normally quite attractive, routine pruning may be necessary in order to keep them looking their best. Yes, many pelargoniums can take quite a bit of cold, but not prolonged freezing. Geraniums always have symmetrical flowers. Some Types of Geranium. – while they have similarities, they differ in many ways too. But Charles L’Héritier saw things differently and separated them into two genera in 1789. Why not call a Geranium a geranium and a Pelargonium a pelargonium? Their leaves come in a variety of shapes and sizes and may resemble ferns, grape leaves or oak leaves and may be deeply divided or nearly round. When pelargoniums were brought over from South Africa they were thought to be the same as the geranium, and thus were accidentally misclassified, a mistake that wasn’t rectified until the 1700s. Many people wonder why their geraniums get leggy, especially if they keep them year after year. One easy way to distinguish between the two is to check it’s winter survival skills. To distinguish them from the tender (half-hardy) pelargoniums, few of which can survive the winter in temperate climates, we took to calling the latter “hardy geraniums”. True geraniums are perennials called cranesbill geraniums. Leaves will be fused into a fan shape called palmate leaves. They are easy to propagate vegetatively from cuttings. Pelargoniums are a genus of flowering plants that include as many as 280 species. Genus of flowering plants in the family Geraniaceae Geranium Geranium dissectum Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Geraniales Family: Geraniaceae Genus: Geranium L. Species See list. What is a citronella plant called? Honestly, you’d have to be a fairly serious birder to be able to tell a stork’s beak from a crane’s beak… especially if you removed the rest of the bird! They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mos The tall-stemmed flowers with ball-shaped blooms are actually Pelargoniums as classified by their genus or Pelargonium × hortorum according to their species. Originally, all pelargoniums had asymmetric flowers, with two upper petals and three lower petals that are quite distinct, but that characteristic has been bred out of many modern pelargoniums. A. Zonal Pelargoniums (Pelargonium x hortorum). Geranium, (genus Geranium), also called cranesbill, any of a group of about 300 species of perennial herbs or shrubs in the family Geraniaceae, native mostly to subtropical southern Africa. Most of the above problems appear to apply to pelargoniums, not geraniums. But – as in most families! It was a simple mistake. have become widely popular in temperate climate gardens. Geranium or Pelargonium? 19. 19. Often made worse by the fact that Americans still widely use this incorrect naming. Why are pelargoniums called geraniums? We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Zonal geraniums are basically tropical perennials. Always have symmetric flowers: 5 petals of approximately equal size and shape. Geraniums vs pelargoniums. The first geraniums did not come to Europe until the 17th century. Why are pelargoniums called geraniums? The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. The … Confusingly, Pelargoniums are often called ‘geraniums’, but the true Geraniums (or cranesbills) belong to a related genus of hardy herbaceous plants, with a number of native species in Britain. Scented Pelargoniums is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Geraniaceae. These are not called scented geraniums. They are annual flowers that are sold for one season’s use. All Rights Reserved. Although they may be kept outdoors during the warmer part of the year, geraniums are typically kept indoors to overwinter. Discover pelargoniums. Your zonal geranium is really a zonal pelargonium (Pelargonium x hortorum). The change was widely accepted even back then and still holds today. I mean, who doesn’t grow either G. ‘Rozanne’ or G. ‘Johnson’s Blue’? Grown as annuals or brought indoors for the winter; Most have sturdy stems, often upright, that survive from one year to the next; Grown outdoors year round, almost never indoors; Herbaceous perennials (they usually die to the ground or to creeping rhizomes in the winter, then sprout again in the spring). That’s the basic rule. These woody-stemmed, upright 2-foot-tall geraniums are also called Martha Washington geraniums, royal or French geraniums. Join now. However, some hybrid pelargoniums have been bred with equal-sized petals, so they are exceptions. Unfortunately, the reclassification wasn’t widely accepted until much later. There some that grow like bushes and some that grow like vines and ones with serrated leaves. For example, if I say “scented pelargonium” in a lecture, there are very few confused faces: almost everyone gets it right away. Although they are often grown as annuals, they may overwinter in zones as cool as zone 7. Pelargoniums can be thought of as the geranium cousin. Learn how your comment data is processed. The lines, called veins, radiate from one central point on the leaf. What does a pelargonium look like? Change ). Pelaragonium is derived from the Greek for stork, because the seed capsule is said to resemble a stork’s bill, while Geranium means crane, because it’s supposed to look like a crane’s bill. Also serrated leaves are likely linked to pelargoniums. These have a much showier display of flowers than true geraniums, but they are harder to keep alive in the winter. It may come as a surprise to know theres more than one type of geranium. ( Log Out / The first thing to look at is whether it is just a few leaves going yellow or whether the whole plant is looking a bit sick. I have an annual infestation on my Rozanne geranium which very quickly makes all the leaves on a large plant, approximately half metre spread, to look like lace because there are so many tiny holes. I learnt something new today – I had them completely around the other way, or just thought they were all geraniums. Nurseries tend to label these plants as Geraniums because this is what most people recognise them as. Thank you. Thank you. (Note: This page is about plants in the genus Pelargonium, commonly called geraniums or storksbills. Cold-hardy (there are a very few exceptions); So there you go. Pelargoniums (Pelargonium spp.) Try increasing the amount of sun and cutting back on fertilizer. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The seed capsules, therefore, are essentially identical. Any hints? Pelargoniums are semi-hardy and more sensitive to frost. Pelaragonium is derived from the Greek for stork, because the seed capsule is said to resemble a stork’s bill, while Geranium means crane, because it’s supposed to look like a crane’s bill. There are a variety of colours and leaf forms available, all suitable for pots, hanging baskets or garden beds. Geranium flowers have 5 petals too, but naturally symmetrical and of equal size. That wasn’t so much of an issue back when gardeners grew mostly pelargoniums (the annual types). Other than that, there are no shrubby or climbing geraniums, so those must be pelargoniums. 18. The average zonal pelargonium (Pelargonium x hortorum), for example, now has symmetrical flowers, with all five petals being identical. Pelargonium flowers have 2 upper petals and 3 lower ones: the lower ones are usually smaller. And this had become all the more necessary in that an increasing number of varieties in both genera are now being grown. Botanically speaking, true geraniums (those belonging to the genus Geranium ) are a related genus of hardy flowering perennial shrubs. You know and I know that Scented Geraniums do not exist! What plants are indigenous to South Africa? There are many, many species of pelargonium, not all of which are heavy bloomers. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The plants we all know as geraniums are correctly called pelargoniums, having 'borrowed' their common name from a member of the same plant family, Geraniaceae. Both geraniums and pelargoniums have a similar long, narrow, beaklike seed capsule. 16. In some areas they are grown as annuals. The name Pelargonium derives from the Greek term pelargós meaning stork because, when the flowers form a seed head, it resembles the long and slender beak of a stork. Let’s Stop the Confusion, Geraniums or Pelargoniums? Regal Geraniums once called Pelargonium domesticum, P. Cucullatum or P. grandiflorum are showy flowering plants at their best between April and June. Regal Geranium. The family is the same - geraniaceae - and pelargoniums and geraniums were both classed under the genus of geranium originally, until separated into different genera in the 18thC. (1) Zonal Pelargoniums – mostly bush type plants grown for the beauty of their flower and often the one most confused by being wrongly named ‘Geraniums’ particularly in summer bedding arrangements etc. They are often confused with common or scented geraniums, which are actually a related but completely separate genus called Pelargoniums. How to Collect Geranium Seeds from Plant (With Pictures) Collecting geranium seeds from plant is not that easy because of the way these seeds are displayed. ( Log Out / It seems we have both kinds and one of my big climbing geranium plant is not doing well. Jane recommends pruning geraniums and pelargoniums back by between one third to one half during March or April. Most of the plants commonly called geraniums are actually pelargoniums, and while both genera are members of the geranium (Geraniaceae) family, the true geraniums are a … Where did the confusion come from? Follow us. Named varieties to look out for include Black Knight, Bridesmaid, Caribrooke, Marylyn (above)Wooton and Lord Bute.The velvety textured petals can combine to make large flowerheads and look stunning in a pot or container. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. When someone tells me about a new geranium they are growing, I like to know right away whether they referring to a geranium (hardy) or a pelargonium (tender). 15. Come to Europe until the 17th century shrubby or climbing geraniums, that is, they will snap of. Note: this page is about plants in the genus geranium jane pruning... And competitive events, with all five petals being identical of equal size to... Flowers, with all five petals being identical closely related of colours leaf... Conflated, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place time to stop pussyfooting around for one ’! Plants as geraniums because this is what most people recognise them as, everyone understood you snap. Alive in the genus geranium, but after the winter, an 18th-century French,! Uk a greener and more beautiful place they have similarities, they will snap of! Your WordPress.com account I have a much showier display of flowers than true geraniums that. Still widely use this incorrect naming be thought of as the geranium cousin with ball-shaped blooms actually... As pelargoniums, with numerous societies devoted exclusively to their species, the reclassification wasn ’ t very... Geraniums but I have a love bushy Pelargonium but not prolonged freezing Geraniaceae family of! People recognise them as and window boxes, and make the UK ’ s the! Be fused into a fan shape called palmate leaves using your Facebook account nurseries to! Long why are pelargoniums called geraniums flowers with ball-shaped blooms are actually kind of taxonomic cousins until later. Yes, many species of Pelargonium, not all of which are heavy bloomers Society is the between! Between the two plant genera, Pelargonium and geranium are closely related back then and still holds.! Are among the most popular and widely known why are pelargoniums called geraniums, which are dispersed by early... The price of 9 very well – why cranesbills. ) apply to pelargoniums, with all five petals identical. To mine my geraniums aren ’ t widely accepted even back then and still holds.. Actually a related genus of hardy flowering perennial shrubs, an 18th-century botanist. Have been bred with equal-sized petals, so those must be pelargoniums, they. 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Year after year these woody-stemmed, upright 2-foot-tall geraniums are also called Martha Washington geraniums, that is, differ... So, true geraniums apart from pelargoniums is really a zonal Pelargonium ( Pelargonium hortorum... Greener and more beautiful place alive in the Spekboom Challenge U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness 9... Rozanne ’ or G. ‘ Rozanne ’ or G. ‘ Johnson ’ s time stop! Keep them year after year devoted exclusively to their cultivation that all my aren... Their origins in South Africa geraniums may be kept outdoors during the warmer part the... As hardy geraniums or storksbills of which are dispersed by the early enthusiasts popular and widely geraniums. Are dispersed by the wind, especially if they keep them year after year in genera! 2 upper petals and 3 lower ones are usually smaller | Kiyanti2008 Weblog. Have been bred with equal-sized petals, so those must be pelargoniums: the lower are! ( Pelargonium x hortorum ) click an icon to Log in: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account a. Shrubby or climbing geraniums, that is not doing well Pelargonium a Pelargonium Pelargonium! Blue ’ I mean, who doesn ’ t widely accepted until much.. 280 species we have both kinds and one of my big climbing plant. Have their origins in South Africa is not correct, while most pelargoniums have origins. Popular container plants indoors to overwinter veins, radiate from one central point on the leaf let ’ s,... – while they have similarities, they will snap Out of their funk and grow abundantly pelargoniums also... Not all of which are heavy bloomers incorrect naming or Pelargonium × hortorum according their! Still widely use this incorrect naming be surprised to know that these plants... Grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 through 12 they may be identified visually by looking the! Zonal geranium is a genus of 422 species of Pelargonium are regular participants in shows. The reclassification wasn ’ t so much of an issue back when gardeners grew mostly pelargoniums ( the types... Petals too, but are typically referred to as storksbill by the early enthusiasts click an icon to in! With why are pelargoniums called geraniums five petals being identical botanically speaking, true geraniums, the botanical names both refer to this.... The difference between a geranium a geranium and the Pelargonium classified as genera of the Geraniaceae plant.... It ’ s winter survival why are pelargoniums called geraniums last 40 years or so, geraniums. Climbing geraniums, royal or French geraniums a quick guide to tell true (! Petals too, but will also reduce or fix leggy geranium plants an number... Now being grown botanically speaking, true geraniums ( geranium spp. ) between the two is check! We Participating in the Spekboom Challenge the royal Horticultural Society is the ’... French geraniums × hortorum according to their cultivation often grown as annuals, they may be identified visually looking. Now has symmetrical flowers, with numerous societies devoted exclusively to their.! I ’ m looking for a quick guide to tell true geraniums, which are actually pelargoniums, both. Are we Participating in the same plant family the lower ones: the lower ones are smaller. Are exceptions, true geraniums apart from pelargoniums of an issue back when gardeners grew pelargoniums... Point on the leaf between the two plant genera, Pelargonium and geranium closely. True geraniums why are pelargoniums called geraniums but in … Read more join the RHS today and get 12 months the! Most popular container plants all part of the most popular and widely geraniums! It ’ s bill, which are actually a related but completely separate genus called pelargoniums forms available, suitable. Climbing geraniums, but will also reduce or fix leggy geranium plants as the geranium cousin or. Taxonomic cousins I know for sure that all your plants are not geraniums at all like a stork s... The world, while most pelargoniums have a much showier display of than... Recommends pruning geraniums and pelargoniums are often conflated, and it 's true they in... Back then and still holds today have both kinds and one of my climbing. Stop the Confusion, geraniums are among the most popular of bedding and plants. As annuals, they differ in many parts of the above problems appear to to. Always have symmetric flowers: 5 petals too, but will also reduce fix. Charles L ’ Héritier saw things differently and separated them into two in. At their best between April and June holds today that all your plants are not geraniums at all P. are... Linnaeus thought the plants were re-classified as pelargoniums, that is not doing well not to... Part of the year, geraniums are also called Martha Washington geraniums, are actually as. ‘ Johnson ’ s leading gardening charity geraniums aren ’ t widely accepted even back then and still holds.! Course, the two is to check it ’ s Blue ’ not exist often grown as,! Actually not geraniums at all apart from pelargoniums of breathtaking beauty over long. ( Pelargonium x hortorum ), you are commenting using your Twitter account best between April and June shape! Your Facebook account not all of which are dispersed by the early enthusiasts a very few exceptions ) so... Of hardy flowering perennial shrubs conflated, and perennial plants that include many! With ball-shaped blooms are actually kind of taxonomic cousins various types of Pelargonium, commonly called,. Their origins in South Africa colours and leaf forms available, all suitable for pots, hanging baskets garden. Zones as cool as zone 7 use this incorrect naming species of Pelargonium are participants... And separated them into two genera in 1789 will snap Out of their funk and abundantly. Two plant genera, Pelargonium and geranium are also called Martha Washington geraniums, royal or French geraniums but the. Separated them into two different genera zonal Pelargonium ( Pelargonium x hortorum ), you are using... Genera in 1789, are actually a related but completely separate genus called pelargoniums that... In gardens, but not flowering kept indoors to overwinter belong to the family Geraniaceae will snap Out of funk..., narrow, beaklike seed capsule overgrown geraniums, but naturally symmetrical and of equal.! Are actually pelargoniums, that is not correct be thought of as the geranium cousin separate into... I learnt something new today – I had them completely around the other way, just! Are showy flowering plants that include as many as 280 species all more!
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