Pelargonium cucullatum
Encyclopedia
Pelargonium cucullatum (also called Wildemalva, Tree pelargonium or Hooded-leaf pelargonium) is a species of plant
in the Geraniaceae
family, that is indigenous to the south-western Cape of South Africa
. It produces masses of pink and purple flowers in the summer and has been used to produce a great number of modern Pelargonium hybrids.
This vigorous, fast-growing shrub can reach heights of over a meter. The leaves grow upwards, forming circular bowls with jagged, red-tipped edges. The sweetly-scented flowers are purple or pink and appear for several months over the summer. During this time, the wild plants stand out in the indigenous fynbos in places like Table Mountain.
Pelargonium cucullatum is becoming increasingly popular as a garden plant, especially in the Western Cape
, South Africa
. It prefers a sunny position and once established is very tough and waterwise. It can be propagated by cuttings and by seed.
Like many geraniums, this plant's leaves give off a pleasant herbal scent when crushed and they have a wide variety of uses in traditional medicine.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus Geranium. It includes both the genus Geranium and the garden plants called geraniums, which modern botany classifies as genus Pelargonium, along with other related genera.There are...
family, that is indigenous to the south-western Cape of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It produces masses of pink and purple flowers in the summer and has been used to produce a great number of modern Pelargonium hybrids.
This vigorous, fast-growing shrub can reach heights of over a meter. The leaves grow upwards, forming circular bowls with jagged, red-tipped edges. The sweetly-scented flowers are purple or pink and appear for several months over the summer. During this time, the wild plants stand out in the indigenous fynbos in places like Table Mountain.
Pelargonium cucullatum is becoming increasingly popular as a garden plant, especially in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It prefers a sunny position and once established is very tough and waterwise. It can be propagated by cuttings and by seed.
Like many geraniums, this plant's leaves give off a pleasant herbal scent when crushed and they have a wide variety of uses in traditional medicine.