| Pelargonium capitatum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Geraniales |
| Family: | Geraniaceae |
| Genus: | Pelargonium |
| Species: | P. capitatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pelargonium capitatum (L.f.) L'Hér. ex Aiton |
|
Pelargonium capitatum is one of several species (including Pelargonium graveolens) known as 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 (meaning, roughly, "coastal geranium") in Afrikaans. It is found in fynbos along the coast of South Africa, from Lamberts Bay east to Kwazulu-Natal. It is a popular and convenient ornamental plant and it also is one of the species of Pelargonium cultivated as a source of essential oils.
Pelargonium capitatum is a low shrub up to about 100 cm (39 in) in height and 1.5 m across. The stems are soft and coated in green, glandular hairs. Brushing against a bush releases a copious scent of the essential oil from damaged hairs. The flowers range from white through various shades of pink to purple. Its preferred habitat is on sand dunes, but it is a fast grower on any reasonable base, including hard clayey soil, so it readily colonises disturbed habitat.[1]
Pelargonium capitatum is one of a number of related plants that have become a major problem in coastal regions of southwest Western Australia, where it invades banksia woodland and coastal heathland.[2]
Pelargonium capitatum is readily propagated from seed or cuttings, and grows best in well drained sandy soils.[1]