Scientific Name:
Pelargonium graveolens
Pronunciation:
pell-are-GOE-nee-um gruh-VEE-uh-lenz
Common Name:
rose geranium, citronella geranium
Family Name:
Geraniaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as)
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most ovate, 5-8cm long x 2-10cm wide, palmately veined with deep irregular lobes >3mm wide, margin wavy or crenate, frilly, pubescent, soft and velvety, velvety, and strongly rose-lemon scented when crushed, petioles <8cm long; umbels rounded, 5-8cm wide, each with 5-10 flowers, 1.5-2cm wide, 5 petals, with the upper two being larger and more prominently darkly marked, pale pink to almost white, peduncles 15-40 mm long, Aug-Oct.
Habit:
Dense, Upright
Form:
Oval - horizontal
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa - southern
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Dried flower or fruit, Fragrance
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed, Dissected
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent, Distinctive smell
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Hastate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Purple, Pink (mauve)
Flower Scent:
Fragrant, Lemony
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Achene, Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Blight or needle cast, Mealybugs, Mites, Whitefly, Wilt
