Find out the difference between pelargonium and geranium? What are their types and varieties?

Many lovers of indoor plants still mistakenly call a fragrant plant with large and bright umbrella inflorescences geraniums. The real name of this flower is pelargonium. As early as the 17th century, Dutch scientist Johannes Boorman hypothesized that geraniums with pelargonium are not the same plants, despite the fact that their appearance resembles each other.

Their main similarity is considered to be that they come from the same family - geraniums. Their family includes 5 plant genera and more than 800 species. The most numerous, famous and popular is pelargonium. We will consider why there was confusion in the name and where the geranium and pelargonium came from in our homes.

What is geranium?

REFERENCE! The name geranium has Greek roots, Geranium (crane), and is due to the fact that the ripened fruits of the plant are very similar in shape to the head and open beak of the crane. When ripe, the seed box opens in an unusual way, splitting along the length from bottom to top.

In Germany, geranium is called Storchschnäbe (stork nose), in England and the United States Cranesbil (crane). This plant is widespread in all parts of Europe, Russia and the Caucasus. Geranium was domesticated in England from the middle of the 17th century; in Russia, it appeared at the beginning of the 18th century. Then the plant spread widely during the development of the Caucasus at the beginning of the XIX century.

Propagated by seeds and vegetatively (varietal geraniums). There are grassy and semi-shrub species. The soil is preferably loose, well-drained. It grows on acidic, slightly acidic and neutral soils. As a rule, geraniums are shade-hardy and frost-resistant, adapt well to the vagaries of nature and grow well in open ground.

Peduncles with 1-3 flowers, large and beautiful. The flowers are fully open in a plane with 5 evenly distributed petals. Petals are the same, almost round. Stamens 10, all developed, with anthers. Coloring is white, yellow, red, purple, blue and violet of various shades.

Spectacular varieties:

• gorgeous;
• Oxford
• Georgian.

Leaves on petioles are soft-haired in many species.

In this case, the dissection of the leaves of geranium:

1. Palm-shaped.
2. Palmate.
3. Cirrus with 3-5 leaves (rare).

What is pelargonium?

From the Greek Pelargos (stork), also got its name in the form of a ripened fruit. No wonder geraniums and pelargonium come from the same geranium family. Unlike geraniums, pelargonium hails from the hot climate of South Africa. This is a photophilous and drought tolerant plant. It is advisable to allocate her the brightest place in the apartment, whose windows face south, southwest.

Reference! In summer, flowers can decorate a balcony, porch, window sills, flower boxes. It blooms from spring to November, propagated by seeds and cuttings. In the open field does not winter. The leaves are simple, palmate or palmately dissected.

Flowers are collected in small or multi-flowered umbrella inflorescences. They are divided into bushy (lush, low) and ampelous (creeping like a vine, ivy with long shoots). There are pelargoniums with bright lush inflorescences and there are fragrant ones with fragrant leaves.

The most popular bush pelargoniums:

1. Zonal (border around the edge of the flower).
2. Royal (large flowers).

Zonal most common (75 thousand varieties) and are divided into:

• rosaceae;
• tulip-shaped;
• cloves;
• stellate;
• cactus-like;
• deacons.

The most unusual form of pelargonium is succulent. They are divided into:

1. Angular pelargonium.
2. Brokeback
3. Thick stem.
4. Fluffy leaf.
5. Fleshy.
6. Another one.
7. Cortusolate.

What is the difference?

These two genera are very often confused and mistakenly called geraniums, the most common fragrant plant in our homes with lush inflorescences, which is actually pelargonium. The discrepancies in the name of pelargonium began in the middle of the 18th century (in 1738), when in Holland the botanist Johannes Boorman proposed separating pelargonium into a separate genus.

In Sweden, the natural scientist Karl Linney developed his own system of classification of species and combined both genera into a common group. The similarity of geranium and pelargonium is manifested in the structure of the seed box. It has a peculiar shape in the form of a crane head and an uncovered crane beak.

Important! The family of both is geranium, but it is impossible to cross them. There are 5 genera in the family of geraniums, of which the most famous Pelargonium, the largest and largest Geranium. In recent years, it is geranium that has been popular. For geraniums, the climate of the Northern Hemisphere is native and it does not need shelter for the winter. Grown in gardens, tolerates low temperatures, can bloom at 12 ° C.

It is found in meadows, forests and swamps. Soils of the middle strip are suitable. Geraniums have single flowers, in which there are 5 or less than 8 petals. The petals are of the same shape, size, color and are evenly distributed in the correct order. Stamens 10, all with anthers.

Colors in nature are blue-blue and violet; breeding: white, pale pink, raspberry. Scarlet shades are extremely rare. Pelargonium comes from South Africa, it is familiar with the scorching rays and arid climate of the south. Therefore, pelargonium is rather an indoor plant, thermophilic.

It has pronounced decorative properties and lush inflorescences. Does not tolerate wintering in open ground, sensitive to cold. The flowers are collected in large zoned inflorescences. Petals are asymmetrically located, the upper two are isolated. Stamens 7, the remaining underdeveloped. Colors: white, pale pink, red. Two-color varieties were developed in which the petals with contrasting spots and strokes (rays).

Photo: what is the difference

In these photos you can see the difference between geranium and pelargonium:

What are the types and varieties of indoor and outdoor plants: name and description

See what types of geraniums are:

Kind of geranium	Description	Varieties
Forest	Bushy perennial plant up to 80 cm tall. Coarse-leaved semifid leaves. Numerous wide open flowers.	Birch lilac, Mayflower, Wannerii
Meadow	Light purple flowers with rounded petals. Leaves strongly dissected palmate. A few tall stems.	Flore pleno, Summer skys, Black beauty
Marsh	High. Perennial, leaves are five-separated, two large peduncles in inflorescence. Prefers sunny damp places (banks of reservoirs)	Palustre
Himalayan (garden, large-flowered)	It forms a low bush of 40-50 cm. Rounded leaves up to 10 cm, unevenly cut into five lobes. Large flowers.	Gravetye, Plenum, Derrick Cook
Blood red	The bush is spherical in shape. Knotty fleshy rhizome. In autumn, part of the leaves becomes crimson-red, part of them remains green all winter.	Striatum, Lancastriense, Prostratum
Renard (gray, grassy)	Perennial with 1-2 stems 20-25 cm high. Olive-green leaves (6-9 cm) half-divided up to half. Pale petals with brightly colored veins.	Zetterlund, Philip Vapelle
Gorgeous (lush)	Hybrid of Georgian and flat-leaf geranium. It forms a lush bush 50-60 cm high. The leaves are serrated along the edge.	Mrs. Kendall Clark, Rosemoore, Lighter Schatten
Roberta	Annual plant 20-30 cm tall. Light green strongly separated leaves. Abundant small (2 cm) pink flowers on long stems.	Robertianum
Large-rhizome (Balkan)	A thick rhizome (diameter 1.5 cm) branches on the ground. It is much shorter, forms a shrub up to 30 cm high. Bright green large (6-10 cm) leaves. Deeply dissected, elongated-rounded.	Spessart, Ingwersen's Variety, Ingwersen, Czakor, Variegata
Red-brown.	Shade-tolerant, bushy form (70-80 cm in height). The leaves are bluish in the summer with a purple pattern. The flowers are small (2 cm) in dark purple.	Samabor, Spring time,
Ash (gray, gray).	Low (10-15 cm) bush with gray-green rounded leaves with 5-7 lobes. Pale flowers with contrasting veins and a dark eye in the center.	Ballerina, Purpureum, Splendens
Georgian	Grows in subalpine meadows. It forms a perennial bush 60-80 cm high. The leaves are rounded, wedge-shaped petals.	Ibericum, Jonsons Blue
Armenian (small stamen, black-eyed).	It forms a perennial shrub up to 60 cm tall. Bright raspberry flowers with an almost black eye.	Patricia
Flat-skinned.	A dense tall bush of 60-70 cm, in diameter reaches 100 cm. Blue-green rounded leaves. Wide wedge-shaped petals.	Platypetalum
Endrisa	The average height of a perennial bush (40-50 cm). Dark green leaves. Pink small (3-3.5 cm) flowers	Betty Catchpole, Beholder's Eye

Get to know the types of pelargonium:

Type of pelargonium	Description	Varieties
Zonal	At a certain distance from the edge of the sheet, a strip passes, which divides the sheet plate into two different shades. Stamp forms up to 1.5 m, dwarf up to 20 cm. Flowers: double, semi-double, simple, star-shaped, cactus.	Mrs Pollock, A Happy Thought, Toscana
Thyroid (Thyroid)	Ampel plants. The leaves are dense, dark green, glossy, come with a light border around the edges. Inflorescences are collected in brushes. Terry flowers, semi-double, simple.	Amethyst, Cascade pink, Tornado Fuchsia
Fragrant (therapeutic).	Leaves with aromas: roses, mint, lemon, orange, apple, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, apricot, verbena. The leaves are deeply indented or with a thick frill along the edge. Inflorescences in the form of umbrellas. Color of flowers: white, pink, red, purple. Bush height of 90 cm and above.	Mebel gray, Islington pepermint, Candy dancer
Royal (large-flowered, English).	The flowers are large, corrugated. Up to 5 cm in diameter. Leaves are small with a serrated edge, pubescent. Bush up to 60 cm high. Capricious in leaving. Coloring: white, salmon, lilac, burgundy, red.	Cherie, Hazel Heather, Candy flowers bicolor
Hybrid (angels, viola).	Looks like pansies. Crossing large-flowered with kinky fragrant. They bloom for a long time, the leaves smell pleasantly, have an aroma.	Lara Susan, Candy flowers dark red, Angel's Eyes Orange
Succulent	The stem is able to wriggle, so this species is often used for bonsai.	Schizopetalum, Gibbosum Maroon, Auritum carneum
Unique	Dissected leaves with a faint aroma. The flowers look like a royal look, but smaller. Tall plant.	Paton's unique

As you can see, geranium and pelargonium are not the same thing. They are quite simple to distinguish from each other in the form of flowers and common inflorescences. The growing conditions they need are completely different, because geranium is from the North, and pelargonium is a southerner. Geranium is ideal for landscaping and gardens, and pelargonium is great for rooms, balconies and summer verandas.

Watch the video: What Is A Geranium & What Is A Pelargonium? (April 2024).