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.
Description
Pelargonium graveolens is an erect, aromatic, multi-branched subshrub, that grows up to 1.5 m and has a spread of 1 m. The leaves are deeply incised, velvety and soft to the touch (due to glandular hairs). The above-ground parts of the plant are more or less hairy and glandular. The alternately arranged leaves are divided into petioles and leaf blades. The leaf blade is soft, heart-shaped and palmately divided, blunt with lobed to coarsely toothed leaf lobes. The natural form smells of mint. Some cultivars have a scent similar to rose petals, although the leaf shape and scent vary (others have little or no scent). Some leaves are deeply incised and others less so, being slightly lobed like P. capitatum. The flowers vary from pale pink to almost white which appear from late winter to summer, peaking in spring.
South African National Biodiversity Institute]]
Etymology
Pelargonium comes from the Greek πελαργός pelargos which means stork. Another name for pelargoniums is stork's-bills due to the shape of their fruit. The specific epithet graveolens refers to the strong-smelling leaves.
Pelargonium graveolens is also known by taxonomic synonyms Geranium terebinthinaceum Cav. and Pelargonium terebinthinaceum (Cav.) Desf. "Rose geranium" is sometimes used to refer to Pelargonium incrassatum (Andrews) Sims or its synonym Pelargonium roseum (Andrews) DC. – the herbal name. Commercial vendors often list the source of geranium or rose geranium essential oil as Pelargonium graveolens, regardless of its botanical name.
Common names
Pelargonium graveolens is also known by taxonomic synonyms Geranium terebinthinaceum Cav. and Pelargonium terebinthinaceum (Cav.) Desf. "Rose geranium" is...
