Pelargonium crispum

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Pelargonium crispum
Pelargonium crispum 1zz.jpg
Pelargonium crispum, detail of flower
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Geraniales
Family: Geraniaceae
Genus: Pelargonium
Species:
P. crispum
Binomial name
Pelargonium crispum
(P.J.Bergius) L'Hér.

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 Pelargonium tomentosum .

Contents

Description

Pelargonium crispum in cultivation. Pelargonium crispum 3zz.jpg
Pelargonium crispum in cultivation.
Botanical illustration of Pelargonium crispum, showing the small, crisped leaves arranged in two opposite rows along the stems. Pelargonium crispum.jpg
Botanical illustration of Pelargonium crispum, showing the small, crisped leaves arranged in two opposite rows along the stems.

Pelargonium crispum is quite a large, shrubby, branching species, growing up to 70 cm tall. The leaves are usually arranged along the stems in two opposite rows (distichous arrangement).

The leaves are small (10mm diameter), green, lemon-scented, fan-shaped, and have distinctively crisped (crinkled or wavy) edges.

The small (25 x 5-8mm), white-to-pink flowers appear in Spring to Summer, in small groups or alone, on short pedicels. [1] [2]

Eponymy

"Pelargonium" comes from the Greek ("pelargos" which means "Stork", and another name for pelargoniums is "storksbills" due to the shape of their fruit). "Crispum" refers to the crisped, crinkled leaf-margins.

Cultivars and hybrids

A variegated cultivar of Pelargonium crispum in cultivation. Pelargoniumcrispumvarie.jpg
A variegated cultivar of Pelargonium crispum in cultivation.

There are many cultivars and hybrids of Pelargonium crispum as it hybridizes readily with other species in the Pelargonium subgenus. These cultivars and hybrids include:

Note: Most Angel Pelargoniums are crosses between a regal pelargonium and Pelargonium crispum.

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, between Worcester in the north, and Bredasdorp in the south, as well as eastwards into the Little Karoo region.

It occurs in rocky, sandy soil on lower slopes, in arid proteoid fynbos as well as renosterveld vegetation. [6]

Uses

As well as being a houseplant or outdoor perennial depending on climate, Pelargonium crispum has a couple of other uses. Firstly, the leaves are edible and are used in salads or for flavouring cakes and stir-fries. Secondly, the leaves are very aromatic and can be used in something like potpourri.

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<i>Pelargonium radens</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Pelargonium graveolens</i> Species of plant

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<i>Pelargonium peltatum</i> Scrambling perennial plant in the family Geraniaceae from southern and eastern South Africa

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<i>Pelargonium quercifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Pelargonium capitatum</i> Species of plant

Pelargonium capitatum is one of several species known as rose geranium or rose-scented pelargonium in English. The popular names refer to the scent of the essential oils extracted from glandular tissue, not the flowers, which have hardly any scent to speak of. Some of the species are known as kusmalva in Afrikaans.

<i>Pelargonium <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> hortorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium × hortorum, commonly called zonal geranium, or garden geranium, is a nothospecies of Pelargonium most commonly used as an ornamental plant. It is a hybrid between Pelargonium zonale and Pelargonium inquinans. They are the group of Pelargonium cultivars, with leaves marked with a brown annular zone and inflorescence in the form of large balls of tight flowers, usually red, pink, or white. These are the most common geraniums of garden centers and florists, sold in pots for windowsills and balconies or planted in flowerbeds.

<i>Pelargonium tomentosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium tomentosum, the peppermint-scented geranium, is a pelargonium species native to South Africa. It is in the subgenus Pelargonium along with Pelargonium graveolens, Pelargonium crispum and Pelargonium capitatum.

<i>Pelargonium odoratissimum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium odoratissimum is a pelargonium species native to South Africa. It is also known as the apple geranium or apple pelargonium due to the distinct apple scent. It is in the subgenus Reniforme along with Pelargonium sidoides and Pelargonium exstipulatum.

<i>Pelargonium <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> fragrans</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium × fragrans is a pelargonium hybrid between Pelargonium odoratissimum and Pelargonium exstipulatum. It is in the subgenus Reniforme along with Pelargonium sidoides and Pelargonium abrotanifolium.

<i>Pelargonium exstipulatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium exstipulatum is a pelargonium species native to South Africa. It is in the subgenus Reniforme along with Pelargonium odoratissimum and Pelargonium sidoides.

<i>Pelargonium cordifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium cordifolium is a plant endemic to the fynbos region of the Southern Cape of South Africa.

<i>Pelargonium elegans</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium elegans is a species of flowering plants in the family Geraniaceae.

<i>Pelargonium triste</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium triste, is a geophyte with flowering stems of about 25 cm (9.8 in) high on average, that is assigned to the Stork's bill family. It has hairy, divided and softly feathered leaves that are about twice as long as wide, resemble carrot leaves, and emerge from the tuberous rootstock directly at ground level. The bracts on the flowering stems are usually much smaller than the leaves at ground level. It carries inconspicuous, star-shaped flowers, each with a "spur" that is merged with the flower stalk, with five free green sepals, 5 pale yellow petals, 10 filaments, only 7 of them initially carrying an anther and a style with 5 curved branches. The flowers are crowded in umbels, and mostly there are slight to intense maroon to black markings that may be small or cover the entire petal except for a narrow line along the margins. In the evening, the flowers start to smell like cloves. Flowers may be found practically year round, but most proficiently from September to December. As typical for many species in the Stork's bill family, its fruits resemble the neck, head and bill of a stork. It is known as the night-scented pelargonium in English, kaneeltjie, pypkaneel or rooiwortel in Afrikaans and wit n/eitjie in the Khoi language.

References

  1. Pelargonium crispum - SANBI page
  2. "Pelargonium crispum".
  3. Sweet, Robert (1822). "Geraniaceae: The Natural Order of Gerania, Illustrated by Coloured Figures and Descriptions; Comprising the Numerous and Beautiful Mule-varieties Cultivated in the Gardens of Great Britain, with Directions for Their Treatment".
  4. Sweet, Robert (1822). "Geraniaceae: The Natural Order of Gerania, Illustrated by Coloured Figures and Descriptions; Comprising the Numerous and Beautiful Mule-varieties Cultivated in the Gardens of Great Britain, with Directions for Their Treatment".
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-08-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Pelargonium crispum | PlantZAfrica".