Monday, May 3, 2010

What's in a name?

The Pelargonium is commonly, and incorrectly, called a Geranium by us who speak English.

This habit of calling a plant by the wrong name traces way back to the 1700's, when a well known Swedish botanist, by the name Linneaus, grouped Geranium, Pelargoneum and Erodius as one genus - the Geranium. The three do share the characteristics of having a seed pod resembling that of a birds bill.
But, in terms of stamens and anthers, they are all different. So, French botanist Charles Léritier later separated them into different genera of the family Geraniaceae (derived from Geranium).

The three genus names were derived from the birds bill that their seed pod resembles.
In Greek;
pelargos=stork
geranos= crane
erodios= heron.

Pelargonium - storksbill

Geranium - cranesbill

Erodiums - heronsbill

Fascinating about these flowers is their nectar guides, located commonly on all petals, but sometimes only on the upper two petals. The nectar guides are the lines that guide towards the center of the flower. To see something amazing, click on naturfotograf.com to discover how the color-blind bee sees the flower. Their nectar guide looks a little different in infra red pictures.

If you have a problem with Japanese Beetles, you might find this research interesting that says that this plant leaves the beetle intoxicated for up to 18 hours after feeding on it.

I see a lot of Geraniums, I mean Pelargoniums, in my future for the summer. After reading the blog O so D, today, I got inspired to go out and hunt for some white ones. Just don't know what I should call them now.
Images from Wikipedia.org

15 comments:

  1. I love Geraniu...Pelargoniums!!!

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  2. Vad intressant Annelie...det visste jag inte..... Vad mycket spännande fakta det finns bakom namn.

    Tittade in på bloggen du länkar till och wow vilka fina miljöer hon visar... Tack för tipset! De vita pelargonerna gör sig väldigt bra ute på terassen. Har en hatkärlek till pelargoner. Tror förvisso det beror på att jag inte brukar lyckas särskilt bra med dem.... :-) De är verkligen fina som en slags gammeldags krukväxt i ett skirt sommarfönster, eller i en stor urna för en mer massiv känsla. Passar faktiskt i alla slags miljöer och stilar. När jag köper pelargoner blir det oftast vanliga vita eller röd-cerise av hängvariant. Men, det blir som säsongsblommor. Det där med att övervintra pelargoner och ta sticklingar o s v har jag inte drabbats av ännu (men man vet aldrig...). Pelargon-intresset är stoooort hos många. Funderade faktiskt igår på att köpa några pelargoner, men tvekade. Nu har du inspirerat mig att kanske göra det ändå, jo det blir nog några pelargoner i år... :-)

    Väderrapport från mig: regn, regn, regn..... (nu har jorden fått sitt...nu är det dags för solen att komma tillbaka...)

    Kram
    Charlotte

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  3. Yes, it's rather confusing, isn't it? They remind me of my grandmother as she used to pinch cuttings from people's front gardens!!

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  4. Hi,
    Interesting info on the geraniums. I love their mop like heads although the hydrangea will always be my favorite. A few years ago I planted some pink geraniums in a large pot with some chartruesse green potato vine..loved it, especailly how the vine puddled around the base of the pot. The colors worked so well together and the combo thrived well....maybe I will do that again this year.
    Also loved the pics of the beach...my favorite place to be any season..especailly love the spring when the air is cool and clear and summer is on the horizon.
    Susan C.

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  5. Right, Leslie, do we call it by its right name now? Ha ha.:)
    Sarah, they remind me of my grandmother as well. It's not until the past few years that I've come to appreciate it more.
    Susan, I loved that combo. It was so beautiful.

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  6. I hadn't heard of Heronsbill before, and wasn't even sure if Geraniums and Pelargoniums were related! I like the Geranium genus more than the Pelargonium, although I have seen beautiful Pelargoniums pictured in Sweden.

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  7. Ja det är spännande och lite förvirrande med Geranium. Alla tre arterna är förtjusande på sitt sätt.
    I dag gick det att var ute i trädgården och jobba, hela 10°..
    Ha det gott/Sophia

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  8. Hi I folloed the link here from Digital Flower Pictures.
    I can't get my mind around the differences betreeen geraniums and pelargoniums, except in the wild as pelargoniums (some species) are endemic to the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Whenever I come across one in the wild I do a double take, because I feel it should be in a garden

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  9. Hi Annielie - thanks for taking the time to visit my little blog project and leave a comment.

    I too love the pelarogiums - as confusing as we North Americans make naming them properly. Have some terrific cranesbills in the garden - they are not ready to bloom quite yet.

    Hope you enjoyed your day at the beach - the photos are wonderful.

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  10. Men du, så mycket jag har lärt mig sedan jag började läsa bloggar. Nu förstår jag varför det alltid har känts fel på tungan att säga geraniums här, fast engelsmännen insisterar på att kalla pellisarna det. Tack för infon!

    Och du, nu har det skramlat till bland dina engelsktalande läsare och det väller in kommentarer på engelska - kul!

    Och så fick jag trevligt besök av Charlotte idag - nice!

    Men när får vi strandrapport undrar nyfiken i en strut... ;-D

    Kram på dig!
    Helena, The Swenglish Home

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  11. Welcome to Sweet Bay, curious about your Swedish connection. Did you see the Pelargoniums on a blog?

    And Welcome to Max-e - since there are so many species within the genera, I can imagine that telling the difference is hard. Must be so cool to see them in their natural habitat in South Africa. If you ever come across them again and have your camera. Would you mind taking a picture?

    Heather - thanks for stopping by and Welcome.
    Love the cranesbill too, they actually started blooming in my garden just the other day.

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  12. Annelie, thank you for stopping by so that I might find your lovely blog. I appreciate your comments and look forward to your wonderful photos and writing.

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  13. Hej igen Annnelie!

    ....bollen är nere...... :-)

    Kram
    Charlotte

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  15. Hej vad roligt att du kikade in hos mig så jag kunde hitta ändå bort till dig *ler*

    Kul att få se lite bilder ifrån USA :)

    Kraam och ha det så gott!

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Thanks for leaving me a little note!

Annelie