Pelargonium tomentosum

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Pelargonium tomentosum
Pelargonium tomentosum 05.jpg
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. tomentosum
Binomial name
Pelargonium tomentosum
Jacq.

Pelargonium tomentosum, the peppermint-scented geranium, [1] is a pelargonium species native to South Africa. It is in the subgenus Pelargonium along with Pelargonium graveolens , Pelargonium crispum and Pelargonium capitatum .

Contents

Etymology

Pelargonium comes from the Greek; Pelargos which means stork. Another name for pelargoniums is storksbills due to the shape of their fruit. Tomentosum refers to the soft, furry, tomentose leaves.

Description

Pelargonium tomentosum is a tall, spreading species which grows up to a metre wide and a metre high. It is a very soft, hairy plant with a strong mint scent (due to the menthone in the leaves) and small white flowers. The leaves are green-grey in colour with a wide, three-lobed shape.

Cultivars and hybrids

There are only a few cultivars and hybrids of Pelargonium tomentosum. These cultivars and hybrids include:

Uses

As well as being a houseplant or outdoor perennial depending on climate, Pelargonium tomentosum has a few other uses. Firstly, the leaves are edible and are great as a flavouring for cakes or tea. The leaves are not usually eaten due to the hairiness of the leaves being somewhat repulsive. Secondly, due to the astringent characteristics of the oils in its leaves, a poultice can be made to treat sprains or bruises. It is also works like mint for treating sore throats if the menthol is obtained correctly. Thirdly the leaves are very aromatic and can be used in potpourri.

Related Research Articles

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Mentha, also known as mint, is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization occurs naturally where some species' ranges overlap. Many hybrids and cultivars are known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peppermint</span> Hybrid flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spearmint</span> Species of mint

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<i>Pelargonium</i> Genus of plants

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 separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae, and Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium; they were later separated into two genera by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.

<i>Mentha aquatica</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentha aquatica is a perennial flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It grows in moist places and is native to much of Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.

<i>Mentha suaveolens</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentha suaveolens, the apple mint, pineapple mint, woolly mint or round-leafed mint, is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to southern and western Europe including the Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous, upright perennial plant that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb or for ground cover.

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

Pelargonium radens, the rasp-leaf pelargonium is a species of Pelargonium. It is in the subgenus Pelargonium along with Pelargonium crispum and Pelargonium tomentosum.

<i>Mentha longifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae

Mentha longifolia, also known as horse mint, brookmint, fillymint or St. John's horsemint, is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Europe excluding Britain and Ireland, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa.

<i>Cosmos atrosanguineus</i> Species of flowering plant

Cosmos atrosanguineus, the chocolate cosmos, is a species of Cosmos, native to Mexico. It has often been claimed that it is extinct in the wild; however it is "quite abundant" in Mexico. The species was introduced into cultivation in 1885, when the British seed company Thompson & Morgan first listed it in their seed catalogue. Its dark red to brownish red flowers have a scent resembling chocolate, which is one reason for its popularity as a cultivated plant.

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

Pelargonium graveolens is a Pelargonium species native to the Cape Provinces and the Northern Provinces of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Common names include rose geranium, sweet scented geranium, old-fashioned rose geranium, and rose-scent geranium.

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

Pelargonium peltatum is a scrambling perennial plant with five shallow or deeply lobed, circular- to heart-shaped, somewhat fleshy leaves, sometimes with a differently coloured semicircular band, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It carries umbel-like inflorescences with 2–10, white to mauve, bilateral symmetrical flowers, each with a "spur" that is merged with the flower stalk. It is known by several common names including ivy-leaved pelargonium and cascading geranium. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. In its home range, it flowers year round but most vigorously from August to October.

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

Pelargonium quercifolium is a species of geranium known by the common name oakleaf geranium or oak-geranium. It is native to South Africa, and it is a commonly grown ornamental plant. It is in the subgenus pelargonium along with Pelargonium crispum and Pelargonium tomentosum.

<i>Clerodendrum tomentosum</i> Species of tree

Clerodendrum tomentosum, known as the downy chance, hairy lolly bush, hairy clairy or hairy clerodendrum is a shrub or small tree occurring in eastern and northern Australia. It is distributed from Batemans Bay in southern coastal New South Wales, to Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, and New Guinea.

<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 crispum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium crispum 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.

<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 album</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium album is a species of flowering plant of the genus Pelargonium. This species is native to South Africa. It is an apple/mint scented pelargonium which is very closely related to Pelargonium odoratissimum. It is in the subgenus reniforme along with Pelargonium sidoides and P. exstipulatum.

References

  1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.