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Geranium (view source)

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{{Taxobox
+
__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
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| name = Geraniums
+
| name = ''Pelargonium''
 +
| common_names = Geraniums
 +
| growth_habit = herbaceous
 +
| high = ?  <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
 +
| wide =    <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
 +
| origin = ?  <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
 +
| poisonous =    <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
 +
| lifespan = perennial
 +
| exposure = ?  <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
 +
| water = ?  <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->
 +
| features = flowers, fragrance, foliage
 +
| hardiness =    <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
 +
| bloom =    <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
 +
| usda_zones = ?  <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
 +
| sunset_zones =    <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
 +
| color = IndianRed
 
| image = Pelargonium flower.JPG
 
| image = Pelargonium flower.JPG
−
| image_width = frameless
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| image_width = 240px    <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
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| image_caption = ''P. graveolens''
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| image_caption = P. graveolens
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
+
| regnum = Plantae
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| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
+
| divisio = Magnoliophyta
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
+
| classis = Magnoliopsida
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| ordo = [[Geraniales]]
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| ordo = Geraniales
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| familia = [[Geraniaceae]]
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| familia = Geraniaceae
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| genus = '''''Pelargonium'''''
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| genus = Pelargonium
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| genus_authority = [[Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle|L'Hér.]]
  −
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
  −
| subdivision =
  −
About 200:<br>
  −
''[[Pelargonium graveolens]]''<br>
  −
''[[Pelargonium radens]]''<br>
  −
''[[Pelargonium scabrum]]''<br>
  −
''[[Pelargonium cotyledonis]]''<br>
  −
''[[Pelargonium triste]]''<br>
  −
et al.
   
}}
 
}}
 +
{{Inc|
 +
Pelargonium (stork, because the fruit is long and slender like a
 +
stork's bill). Geraniaceae. Geranium of gardens. Pelargonium. Stork's
 +
Bill. Many kinds of pot-plants, popular for indoors and for bedding;
 +
and some of them much planted permanently out-of-doors in California
 +
and elsewhere; flowers showy.
 +
 +
Plants of various habit: some are fleshy and tuberous and are treated
 +
as succulents, but those commonly grown are erect or trailing leafy
 +
herbs or woody below (sometimes shrubby) with sts. somewhat soft and
 +
succulent or small and firm: lvs. mostly opposite, entire to
 +
decompound, stipulate, the foliage often strong- scented: infl.
 +
mostly umbel-like, on axillary peduncles; fls. irregular, the petals
 +
5 (rarely fewer by abortion), the 2 upper usually larger and more
 +
prominently colored, the lower mostly narrow and rarely very small,
 +
the colors pink, red, purple, white, sometimes yellow, often
 +
attractively blotched or veined; calyx 5-parted (or the sepals said
 +
to be connate at base), the uppermost segm. produced at base into a
 +
slender nectar-bearing tube or spur adnate to the pedicel; stamens
 +
10, of which 7 or less are anther-bearing and fertile: fr. of 5
 +
valves, each 1-seeded and separating from the beaklike apex mostly by
 +
coiling and more or less hygro metrically.—Nearly all the
 +
pelargoniums are from S. Afr. All the species mentioned in this
 +
article are from that region, unless otherwise stated. Harvey, in
 +
Vol. I of Harvey & Sender's Flora Capensis (1859-60), admits
 +
163 species; and his descriptions are followed closely in the
 +
characterizations of species given below. Knuth, the most recent
 +
monographer (in Engler's Pflanzen- reich, IV. 129, 1912), admits 232
 +
species and very many well-marked hybrids. Pelargonium is
 +
distinguished from the genus Geranium by technical characters. In
 +
most cases, the fls. of Geranium are regular, but those of
 +
Pelargonium are irregular, the 2 upper petals differing from the
 +
others in size and shape and often in coloring. The most constant
 +
difference between the two genera is the presence in Pelargonium of a
 +
nectar-tube, extending from the base of one of the sepals and
 +
adherent to the side of the calyx-tube or pedicel. This tube is not
 +
seen by the casual observer, but it may be discovered by making a
 +
longitudinal section of the fl. and pedicel.
 +
 +
The person who wishes to study the contemporaneous evolution of
 +
plants may find his heart's desire in Pelargonium. With great numbers
 +
of species and many of them variable and confusing in a wild state,
 +
with plant breeding in many places and continued through two
 +
centuries, and with a large special literature, the genus offers
 +
exceptional advantages and perplexities to the student. Most of the
 +
species early came into cultivation by the English and Dutch, the
 +
South African plants forming at one time almost a separate department
 +
of horticultural knowledge. P. cucullatum, the dominant parent in the
 +
florist's pelargoniums, was known in England as early as 1690. The
 +
two originals of the race of zonal or bedding geraniums were
 +
introduced into England in 1710 and 1714. Early in that century, a
 +
half-dozen species were grown at Eltham, in the famous garden of
 +
James Sherard, and these were pictured in 1732 in Dillenius account
 +
of that garden, "Hortus Elthamensis," a sumptuously illustrated work
 +
in quarto. Even at that time, P. inquinans had varied  markedly (see
 +
Fig. 2836).in his "Species Plantarum," 1753, Linnaeus . described the
 +
few species which he knew (about twenty-five) under the genus
 +
Geranium. In 1787, L'Heritier founded the genus Pelargonium, and
 +
transferred many of the Linnaean species. L'Heritier's work
 +
 +
"Geraniplogia," a quarto, appeared in Paris in 1787 to 1788, with
 +
forty-four full- page plates. Recently Kuntze has revived the pre-
 +
Linnaean name Geraniospermum (1736) for this genus, but it is not
 +
likely to find acceptance.
 +
 +
Early in the nineteenth century, many species were in cultivation in
 +
Europe, and experiments in hybridizing and breeding became common.
 +
There appears to have been something like a geranium craze. The
 +
experiments seem to have been confined largely to the development of
 +
the show or fancy pelargoniums, as greenhouse subjects, for bedding
 +
plants had not reached their present popularity. The geranium
 +
interest seems to have culminated in Robert Sweet's noble work on
 +
 +
"Geraniaceae," published in five volumes in London, 1820 to 1830,
 +
containing 500 well-executed colored plates of geraniaceous plants.
 +
At that time many distinct garden hybrids were in cultivation, and to
 +
these Sweet gave Latin botanical names. His fifth volume is devoted
 +
chiefly to garden forms of the show pelargonium type, to which the
 +
general class name Domes- ticum is given in the following sketch. The
 +
development of the zonal or bedding geraniums had begun in Sweet's
 +
time, and he includes them in his pictures, but the larger part of
 +
their evolution is subsequent to his history. Various small works on
 +
pelargonium have appeared. De Jonghe's "Traite Me'thodique de la
 +
 +
Culture du Pelargonium," Brussels, 1844, contains good
 +
bibliographical and cultural data.
 +
 +
Few classes of plants should have more interest to the amateur and
 +
fancier because the species are numerous and varied, the colors
 +
mostly very attractive, the habit of the plant interesting, and the
 +
foliage often with pleasing fragrance; yet, excluding the common
 +
window and bedding geraniums of the P. zonale and P. inquinans type
 +
and the Lady Washington or Show types, they are very little known to
 +
gardeners. A cool greenhouse could be made to yield very interesting
 +
subjects in the species here described and others that may be secured
 +
from collectors in the regions where they grow.
 +
 +
Most of the cultivated forms of pelargonium may be grouped into four
 +
general horticultural classes:
 +
 +
I. The zonal, horseshoe, fish, or bedding types, known to gardeners
 +
as "geraniums." They comprise a mongrel class, designated as the
 +
Hortorum class This race seems to be derived from P. zonale and P.
 +
inquinans. These two species were made by Linnaeus in 1753, but he
 +
founded them on descriptions in earlier works rather than directly on
 +
the plants. In America, the zonal geraniums are very popular, for
 +
they develop their colors well in the bright climate. They are
 +
popular in all countries, however. They probably stand closer to the
 +
lives of a great number of persons than any other ornamental plant.
 +
If a window or a garden can have but one plant, that plant is likely
 +
to be a geranium. The old race of large-flowered and large-clustered
 +
geraniums was known as "nosegay geraniums," because they were
 +
bouquet-like, but this term is not known in America. Another race has
 +
been developed for its zone marked leaves. There is also a race of
 +
double-flowered zonals, which have appeared chiefly since 1860. The
 +
very full double and close-clustered forms lose much of the grace and
 +
charm of the single types. Some of them are little better, to a
 +
sensitive eye, than balls of colored paper. In the development of the
 +
individual flower of the geranium, there have been two ideals—the
 +
English ideal for a circular flower with the petals broadened and
 +
overlapping, and the continental ideal with a somewhat two-lipped
 +
flower and the petals well separated. In the "Gardeners' Chronicle"
 +
in 1841, p. 644, the proper form is set forth in an illustration, and
 +
this is contrasted with the "original form;" the picture is
 +
reproduced, somewhat smaller, in Fig. 2837. "The long, narrow, flimsy
 +
petals of the old varieties," the writing says, "moved by every
 +
breath of wind, and separated to their very base by broad open
 +
spaces, have been succeeded by the beautiful compact flowers of the
 +
present day, with broad stout petals so entirely overlaying each
 +
other as to leave scarcely an indentation in the outline of the
 +
flower; while the coarseness which prevailed in the larger of the old
 +
sorts is replaced by a firmer substance, and a far more delicate
 +
texture." Fig. 2838 shows contrasting ideals, although the picture
 +
does not represent the extremes.
 +
 +
In more recent years  a French type has appeared under the name of
 +
"gros bois," or "large-wood" race. It is characterized as follows by
 +
Dauthenay: umbels ordinarily 4 to 5 inches in diameter: flowers very
 +
large; petals roundish, or sometimes triangular, the limb always very
 +
large and giving the corolla a remarkably round contour: leaves very
 +
large, thick and coriaceous, plane or incurved, more or less
 +
indented, strongly nerved, their diameter averaging about 5 inches,
 +
pedicels large and short: peduncles large, rigid, and projecting
 +
beyond the foliage: wood soft, fleshy, very large, often 1 1/2 inches
 +
around. To this type Dauthenay refers the Bruant geraniums, dating
 +
from 1882. A special handbook is devoted to these plants: Dauthenay,
 +
 +
"Les Geraniums," Paris, 1897.
 +
 +
II. The ivy-leaved geraniums, products largely of Pelargonium
 +
peltatum (Fig. 2839). The species is said to have been introduced
 +
into England in 1701. It is a weak and straggling plant, used mostly
 +
in vases, hanging-baskets, and other places in which an overhanging
 +
subject is desired. The foliage is thick and shiny, slightly peltate
 +
and prominently angle-lobed, and the pink or reddish two-lipped
 +
flowers are always admired. Much-improved and double forms are now in
 +
commerce.
   −
'''''Pelargonium''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s which includes about 200  [[species]] of [[perennial plant|perennial]], [[succulent plant|succulent]], and [[shrub]] [[plant]]s, commonly known as '''geraniums'''. Confusingly, ''Geranium'' is the correct botanical name of the separate genus which contains the related [[Cranesbill]]s. Both genera are in the Family [[Geraniaceae]]. [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] originally included all the species in one genus, ''Geranium'', but they were later separated into two genera by [[Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle|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 "geranium" is still in regular use.
+
III. The "show" or fancy type is known to gardeners as "pelargonium,"
 +
and in this country also as Lady Washington geraniums (Fig. 2845).
 +
These plants are very popular in Europe, being grown in numerous
 +
varieties. They are prominent at the exhibitions. Because of the hot
 +
trying summer climate, these plants are of very secondary importance
 +
in America, although there are many gardeners who succeed well with
 +
them. This race of pelargoniums seems to have descended chiefly from
 +
P. cucullatum, although P. angulosum may be nearly equally concerned
 +
in it. P. grandiflorum is also thought to have been a formative
 +
parent. It is probable that two or three other species are concerned
 +
in the evolution. In fact, the late Shirley Hibbard once wrote (G.C.,
 +
July 3, 1880) that "it must be evident to every cultivator of these
 +
flowers that the blood of a score or so of species is mingled in
 +
them." This marked garden race, which represents no single wild
 +
species, is designated as the Domesticum group.
   −
==History and use==
+
IV. Various scented-leaved geraniums, known mostly as "rose
−
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 which 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]], from Greek πελαργός pelargos  = "[[stork]]", because part of the flower looked like a stork's beak.
+
geraniums." These are of several species, with then hybrids and
 +
derivatives. The common rose geraniums are nearest P. graveolens and  
 +
P. Radula. The nutmeg geranium is P. odoratissimum or P. fragrans.
 +
Aside from the above groups there are several species which appear
 +
sporadically in -the trade, as P. tomen- tosum, P. echinatum, P.  
 +
triste, P. quinquevulnerum, P. fulgidum, and P. quercifolium or the  
 +
derivatives of them. Few great collections of pelargonium species and
 +
varieties have been made in this country, and this is much to be
 +
regretted.
   −
Other than grown for their beauty, species of Pelargonium such as ''[[Pelargonium graveolens|P. graveolens]]'' are important in the [[perfume]] industry and are cultivated and [[distillation|distilled]] for its scent. Although scented Pelargonium exist which have smells of [[citrus]], [[Mentha|mint]], or various [[fruits]], the varieties with [[rose]] scents are most commercially important. Pelargonium distillates and [[Absolute (substance)|absolutes]], commonly known as "scented geranium oil" are sometimes used to supplement or adulterate expensive [[rose oil]]s.
+
Culture of zonal geraniums. (C. W. Ward.)
   −
''Pelargonium'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Angle Shades]].
+
While the general florist may consider geranium- culture the easiest
 +
of all gardening, the fact remains that it is as necessary to observe
 +
the requirements of the geranium as it is to observe the requirements
 +
of any other plant; in order to succeed and produce the best effects
 +
attainable. While it is true that the geranium will grow and make a
 +
good showing with comparatively little care, there is as much
 +
difference between a skilfully grown geranium plant and one
 +
carelessly grown as there is between a fancy and a common rose or
 +
carnation.
   −
''Pelargoniums '' are believed to deter mosquitoes.
+
To secure the best results it is necessary to propagate from
 +
perfectly healthy stock. The dangers of over- propagation are as
 +
great with the geranium as with most other plants. To keep most
 +
varieties in good health it is necessary to plant the stock intended
 +
for propagation in the field and to propagate either from the
 +
field-grown wood in August or early September, or to lift the plants
 +
in the month of September and plant them on benches in the
 +
greenhouse, where they will become established and will maintain a
 +
vigorous constitution throughout the winter season. The propagation
 +
from field-grown wood is far less successful than from wood grown
 +
inside, and when the field-grown cuttings are placed in sand, a large
 +
percentage of them is likely to damp-off, especially if there has
 +
been a comparatively abundant rainfall in the month of July. The best
 +
method that the writer has found for striking the field- grown
 +
cuttings is to put them in 2-inch pots, using a light sandy soil free
 +
from all manure and chemicals, and to place the pots in the full
 +
sunlight either in a coolhouse or a frame. These cuttings must be
 +
kept on the dry side until the calluses have been well formed,
 +
although they should not be allowed to shrivel at any time. If the
 +
cuttings show signs of shriveling, a light syringing is preferable to
 +
a heavy watering. After the roots have started, the treatment of the
 +
plants is the same as if the cuttings had been rooted in the sand and
 +
repotted. The writer contiders wood grown inside superior to
 +
field-grown wood, as the cuttings are much shorter-jointed; most of
 +
them can be taken from the plant with a heel and 95 to 100 per cent
 +
of them will root in sand in the ordinary cutting-bench.
    +
A good temperature for the geranium propagating- house is 56° to 60°,
 +
with a bottom heat of 65° to 60*. While the cuttings are in the sand
 +
and before they are rooted, care must be taken about keeping them top
 +
moist for fear of "damping-off," or what geranium- growers know as
 +
"black-rot." As soon as the cutting is thoroughly callused and begins
 +
to emit roots, it should be potted up at once. The best soil for
 +
geraniums, according to the writer's experience, is a firm pliable
 +
clay loam; this is best if used absolutely without any manure,
 +
especially fresh manure. After potting the cuttings they should be
 +
lightly watered and shaded for a day or so if the sun is extremely
 +
hot, until the roots take hold and the foliage fills up and the stems
 +
begin to look plump. The geranium should not be grown at any time in
 +
its young state in a soil that is too rich, and care must also be
 +
taken that the plants are not kept too wet.
   −
Garden geranium (''Pelargonium x hortorum''; [[syn.]] ''Pelargonium zonale'') is one of the most common ornamental potted-plants, with over 200 varieties.
+
The geranium is subject to few diseases, and so far as the writer
 +
has been able to observe these diseases are brought on by improper
 +
treatment, such as having too much fresh rank manure in the soil or
 +
keeping the plants too wet. Too much strong plant-food in the earth
 +
combined with too much moisture induces a condition of the leaves
 +
ordinarily called "spot." It usually appears in the hottest weather
 +
or immediately after extreme heat accompanied by copious showers or
 +
rains.
   −
In 1988 the flower was described and illustrated in a comprehensive 3-volume work ''Pelargoniums of Southern Africa'' by [[Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst]] with van der Walt and Vorster.
+
Excellent specimen geranium plants may be grown in pots, especially
 +
of some of the newer French and English round-flowered varieties. In  
 +
order to produce the best results, choose young vigorous plants that
 +
have been propagated either in the latter part of August or the
 +
forepart of September, and that have shown a disposition to take hold
 +
immediately, both in rooting and in starting to grow after being
 +
potted. The soil should not be too rich, and it is best to start with
 +
the plant in a rather small pot, say 2 1/2 inches, and proceed onward
 +
with light shifts,—that is, shifting the plant from a 2 1/2-inch to a
 +
3 1/2-inch pot, and so on, letting the sizes increase an inch at each
 +
shift until a 7-, 8-, or 9-inch pot is reached, which will usually be
 +
large enough to flower the finest specimens. Whenever shifting the
 +
geranium, be sure to pot firmly, as a firm soil produces a
 +
short-jointed stocky growth, and far more bloom than a loose or
 +
over-rich soil. When the plants reach a 5- or 6-inch pot they may be
 +
regularly fed with manure- water. The most critical time for these
 +
specimen geraniums will be in the months of July, August, and
 +
September; in these periods exposure to intense sunshine should be
 +
avoided. Too much water and a close temperature are always
 +
detrimental to the geranium. Syringing the foliage frequently to keep
 +
down the temperature is also injurious. If these plants are kept
 +
under glass, a light shading or stripping upon the glass is
 +
beneficial. Probably the best position for such plants in these three
 +
extreme months is on the north side of a row of trees, some distance
 +
away from the trees, where the plants will have the benefit of the
 +
subdued shading of the foliage. If kept under glass and
 +
shaded,abundant ventilation should always be provided. As the winter
 +
approaches, a night temperature of 60° and day temperature of 70° to
 +
75°; with plenty of ventilation in the daytime, especially in bright
 +
weather, seem best to suit the plants. Syringing ruins the flowers,
 +
and too much moisture either in the pot or upon the foliage causes
 +
the spotting of the leaves known as "dropsy." In planting the
 +
geranium in the field or in beds, always avoid an over-rich soil. The
 +
earth should be in good condition and fertile, but must not be loaded
 +
with either chemical or animal fertilizer. Too much water at any
 +
period during the hot weather produces a rank growth, reduces the
 +
quantity of bloom and in most instances induces the spotted foliage
 +
to appear.
   −
==Cultivars==
+
Another disease, which is sometimes serious, especially in extremely
−
Species of ''Pelargonium'' are indigenous to Southern Africa and are drought and heat tolerant, and can tolerate only minor frosts. Pelargoniums are extremely popular [[garden]] plants, grown as annuals in temperate climates, and thousands of ornamental [[cultivar]]s have been developed from about 20 of the species.
+
hot seasons accompanied with a superabundance of moisture, is
−
*'''Zonal''' varieties, also known as ''P.'' ×''hortorum'', are mainly derived from ''P. zonale'' and ''P. inquinans''.
+
"stem-rot." This frequently attacks imported stock. It is most
−
*'''Ivy-leaved''' varieties are mainly derived from ''P. peltatum''.
+
serious in intensely hot seasons; the entire plant turns black and
−
*'''Regal''' varieties, also known as French geraniums or ''P.'' × ''domesticum'' are mainly derived from ''P. cucullatum'' and ''P. grandiflorum''.
+
fades and withers away. The stem-rot occurs in varieties that have
−
*'''Scented-leaf''' varieties are derived from a great number of species, amongst others ''P. graveolens''.
+
been very heavily propagated.
   −
==Structural variations==
+
The insects that affect the geranium are also comparatively few. The
 +
red-spider is sometimes a serious pest in summer and is difficult to
 +
get rid of when it is once well established. The only method is to
 +
syringe the plants with an extremely fine spray, and also to pick off
 +
the leaves that are seriously affected and burn them. The green-fly
 +
is also troublesome at times, but is easily managed with the ordinary
 +
fumigation of tobacco. There is a small caterpillar that eats the
 +
foliage and sometimes proves a serious pest. If one can induce a few
 +
ground sparrows or any of the warblers, or even English sparrows, to
 +
make their home about the greenhouse, they will put a speedy end to
 +
these caterpillars. Another remedy is to go over the plants carefully
 +
and to pick the caterpillars off and destroy them. This is tedious,
 +
as it must be done frequently.
   −
Pelargonium [[Leaf|leaves]] are usually alternate, and [[leaf shape|palmately]] lobed or [[pinnate]], often on long stalks, and sometimes with light or dark patterns.
+
In the way of bedding geraniums, as a rule the Bruant section
−
The erect stems bear five-petaled [[flower]]s in [[umbel]]-like clusters called [[pseudoumbel]]s. 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.
+
produces the best results, but there are a number of English and  
 +
French varieties that do especially well in our hot climate. The
 +
greatest difficulty in successful geranium-culture in America is the
 +
intense heat of the summer months, chiefly July and August. Some
 +
varieties withstand the heat better than others.
   −
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. [http://www.begs.org.uk/guernsey.html See photo of yellow geranium.] The flower has a much yellower hue than the cream-colored varieties which some developers had called yellow previously.
+
Show pelargoniums. (T. D. Hatfield.)
   −
Horticultural pelargoniums (as opposed to botanical, the wild 'species') fall into six major groups, with zonals subdivided further:
+
What are known as show pelargoniums have enjoyed a long popularity.
 +
By the general public, and by old people especially, they are known
 +
as Lady Washington geraniums. They are not so commonly grown as the
 +
so-called geraniums, chiefly on account of their limited season of
 +
bloom and the fact that they cannot endure our hot midsummer suns.
 +
Through the greater part of the summer they are liable to be
 +
neglected. They also require different treatment from geraniums, and
 +
— if skill there be — more skill in cultivation.
 +
 
 +
At the end of the blooming season, they require rest, — a season of
 +
ripening the growth already made. At this time very little water will
 +
be needed, and they may be stood out in the full sun. Only the old
 +
flower-stems may be removed. In no sense should they be cut back at
 +
this time, neither should water enough be given to encourage new
 +
growth. All the leaves should stay on until they naturally turn
 +
yellow with age, thus securing a thoroughly ripened growth. In
 +
September, one may prune them into shape, sometimes rather severely,
 +
but in any case cut out all weak and soft shoots. They should then be
 +
shaken out and repotted in a light compost, not rich, into the
 +
smallest-sized pots that will hold them, for the process of growing
 +
them on has to be gone over every season. After potting, a good
 +
soaking will be necessary, and they may be placed in a well-lighted
 +
coldframe. There is no need to keep them close; the stimulation of
 +
water, and the slight protection of a frame are usually enough to
 +
start them into new growth. No forcing will ever be needed at any
 +
season, and if the grower wished, he might keep them in a cold- frame
 +
until very late in the season, so long as adequate protection against
 +
frost is afforded. They are at their best in May, and to have them in
 +
good condition, one may grow them slowly in a house averaging about
 +
50° night temperature (slightly less in midwinter), from October
 +
onward.
 +
 
 +
After the turn of the days—in January—repot them, using now a richer
 +
compost. Give a fairly good shift, depending in part on the size of
 +
plants desired, the vigor they show, and the difference in varieties.
 +
If wanted to bloom in April or, as some florists might, at Easter,
 +
they should have been potted at once—in late August or September—into
 +
the size they should bloom in,—a medium size, probably the same as
 +
they had lately occupied, and have been taken indoors to grow on
 +
continuously. But for display in May and June, they are potted again
 +
in January, and some plants may be given another shift when extra
 +
vigor or the possible need of a few extra-large specimens demand it.
 +
They will need careful stopping. Some rubbing out of weak shoots,
 +
when they break abundantly, will help those that remain, and one may
 +
even have to do a little pruning. Stopping, however, must be
 +
discontinued as soon as the flowering stems begin to show, which is
 +
about the end of February in the writer's practice. These stems can
 +
be distinguished easily by a slightly different manner of growth. Up
 +
to this time the plants may be allowed to grow naturally; but if the
 +
gardener wants trained specimens he must begin to bend them as he
 +
wishes them to grow, as their growth speedily hardens and the plant
 +
will readily take and keep the form to which it is shaped.
 +
 
 +
Water should be given sparingly through the dead of winter. February
 +
and March are the months when the most growth is made, and at this
 +
time one may stimulate them materially by the judicious use of
 +
artificial manures, which may be continued, if necessary, until they
 +
come into bloom. They are much subject to the attacks of green-fly
 +
and red-spider; and as the foliage is fairly tender and liable to
 +
injury from tobacco smoke, reliance must be placed on fluid
 +
insecticides almost wholly. The blooming season is very much
 +
lengthened by giving a slight degree of shade.
 +
 
 +
The best time to take cuttings is soon after the flowering season.
 +
Often toward the last of the season, the plants make a few "growing"
 +
shoots, and these may be taken; but off and on during the summer one
 +
can get cuttings, and any time until August will do. Cuttings taken
 +
in winter-time with a heel make pretty little plants in 4- or 5-inch
 +
pots without stopping. Cuttings taken at the usual time and grown in
 +
6- or 7- inch pots come in handy in grouping for the front lines. It
 +
is necessary to raise a few plants every season to replace older
 +
plants which have grown too large.
 +
 
 +
New varieties are raised from seed, which is freely produced. In
 +
hybridizing it does not appear that handpollination has any effect,
 +
as the seedlings seldom show any particular affinity to either
 +
parent.
 +
 
 +
Index.
 +
anguloeum, 20.           filipendulifolium, 1.     odoratissimum, 15, 16.
 +
artemisaefolium, 5.   fragrans, 16.             odoratum, 31.
 +
artemisioides, 5.   fulgidum, 3.             pastinacaefolium, 1.
 +
betulinum, 17.           glabrum, 7.             peltatum, 7,
 +
capitatum, 23.           grandiflorum, 8.     quercifolium, 25.
 +
clypeatum, 7.           graveolens, 26.     quinquevulnerum, 2.
 +
cordatum, 18.           hederaefolium, 7.     Radula, 28.
 +
crispum, 30.           hispidum, 27.             revolutum, 28.
 +
cucullatum, 19.           hortorum, 13.             scutatum, 7.
 +
daucifolium, 1           inquinana, 12.     Thorncroftii, 10.
 +
denticulatum, 29.        lateripes, 7.  .     tomentosum, 22.
 +
domesticum,21            latifolium,30              transvaelense,10.         
 +
Drummondii, 23.           laxatum, 1.     triste, 1.
 +
echinatum, 14.           Limoneum, 31.              villosum,1
 +
Endlicherianum, 6.   multibracteatum 9.     vitifolium, 24.
 +
erectum, 16.           multifidum, 28.     sonale, 11.
 +
exstipulatum, 4.
 +
 
 +
I. Lvs. on the pinnate order, although sometimes entire, usually
 +
pinnately lobed or compound. (Nos. 1-5).
 +
 
 +
Any number of Latin-formed names of Pelargonium may appear in the
 +
trade, for the hybrids and varieties are numerous and not always
 +
readily referable to the species as forms or varieties.—P.
 +
Blandfordianum, Sweet {P. graveolens x P. echinatum). A good grower,
 +
shrubby, the branches roughish pubescent: lvs. flat, 7- lobed, the
 +
lower lobes deeply lobed again, all bluntly toothed, strong-scented:
 +
fls. white or pale blush, the upper petals with 2 red spots. G.M.
 +
54:626.—P. brevipetalum, N. E. Br. equals Polycephalum-P.Cotyledonis, L'Her. Lvs evergreen at base of plant, cordate, 3in. across, entire or nearly so, whitish beneath wrinkled above: fls on scape-like peduncles above the lvs.2/4 in across, white.
 +
 
 +
St. Helena. Requires little heat. G. 35:235.—P. inxquilobum. Mast.
 +
Allied to P. multibracteatum. Pilose: lvs. 3-lobed, the terminal lobe
 +
ovate-lanceolate and again lobed in middle, margins toothed: fls.
 +
greenish yellow with purple in base. Trop. Afr. Perhaps same as P.
 +
Fischeri, Engl.—P. luteolum, N. E. Br. A very recent species from S.
 +
Afr.: herb with bulbous root- stock: lvs. 4 or 5, all radical, twice
 +
ternately divided, 1/2-1 1/4 in. long and broad, the ultimate segms.
 +
linear: petals nearly 1/2in. long, pale yellow with 2 red lines at
 +
base.—P. polycephalum, E. Mey. (P. brevipetalum, N. E. Br.), St.
 +
thick and fleshy, ovoid, rising very little above the ground,
 +
short-branched at top: lvs. in a rosette, bipinnately divided,
 +
ovate-oblong in outline, thick and fleshy; pinnae 5 or 6 pairs,
 +
pinnatisect: fls. pale yellow, the petals shorter than sepals. Cape
 +
Colony.—P. roseum, Hort., is a name of no botanical standing, applied
 +
to some of the common forms of rose geranium of the P. Radula group.{{SCH}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Cultivation==
 +
{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
 +
 
 +
===Propagation===
 +
{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
 +
 
 +
===Pests and diseases===
 +
{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
 +
 
 +
==Varieties==
 +
About 200{{wp}}:<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium cotyledonis]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium drummondii]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium graveolens]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium insularis]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium littorale]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium radens]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium scabrum]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium sidoides]]''<br>
 +
''[[Pelargonium triste]]''
 +
 
 +
Horticultural pelargoniums (as opposed to botanical, the wild 'species') fall into six major groups, with zonals subdivided further{{wp}}:
 
* Angel
 
* Angel
 
* Ivy-leaved = hanging  
 
* Ivy-leaved = hanging  
Line 74: Line 512:  
*** Parfum-leaved
 
*** Parfum-leaved
   −
==Image gallery==
+
==Gallery==
 +
{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
 +
 
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Image:Pelargonium graveolens 2.jpg| ''P. graveolum''
 
Image:Pelargonium graveolens 2.jpg| ''P. graveolum''
Line 85: Line 525:  
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   −
== References and external links ==
+
==References==
−
* [[Maria Lis-Balchin]], ed., ''Geranium and Pelargonium: History of Nomenclature, Usage and Cultivation''. ([[Taylor and Francis]], 2002) ISBN 0-415-28487-2
+
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
−
* [http://www.fuchsia.be] - explanations in the on-line catalog of a Belgian breeder with over 1000 varieties of Pelargonium, most also illustrated, dozens added each year.
+
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
−
* [http://razor.arnes.si/~mstrli/pp.html] - ''The Pelargonium Page'': descriptions of botanical species with plant and habitat photos
+
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
*{{wplink}}
 +
 
 +
{{stub}}
 +
[[Category:Categorize]]
 +
 
 +
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