Pelargonium tomentosum

Possibly…

Pelargonium tomentosum x Pelargonium quercifolium ’Giant Oak’

pe-lar-GO-nee-um toh-men-TOH-sum x kwer-se-FOH-lee-um

**Synonyms of Pelargonium tomentosum (12)(Updated on 12-26-22 from Plants of the World Online):** Ciconium micranthum Sweet (1824), Geranium menthiodorum Nocca ex Steud. (1821), Hoarea villosa Sweet (1826), Ligularia villosa Eckl. & Zeyh. (1835), Pelargonium corymbosum Turcz. (1858), Pelargonium majestum Hoffmanns. (1824), Pelargonium piperatum Spin (1818), Pelargonium piperitum F.Dietr. (1820), Pelargonium regale Hoffmanns. (1824), Pelargonium tomentosum var. crassicuale Regel (1867), Pelargonium verbenifolium Sweet (1823), Pelargonium villosum Spin (1818)

Pelargonium tomentosum Jacq. is the accepted scientific name for this plant. It was first described by Nicolaus (Nicolaas) Joseph von Jacquin in Icones Plantarum Rariorum 1786-1793

Pelargonium quercifolium (L.f.) L’Hér. is also a correct and accepted scientific name. It was described and documented as such by Charles Lewis L’Héritier de Brutelle in Hortus Kewensis in 1789. It was first named Geranium quercifolium by Carl Linnaeus the Younger (Carl Linnaeus’s son) and documented in Supplementum Plantarum in 1782.

Pelargonium tomentosum ‘Chocolate Mint’ is possibly a hybrid between P. tomentosum and P. ‘Giant Oak’ (which is a cultivar of P. quercifolium).

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Geraniaceae
Origin: South Africa
Size: 18-24” tall x 3-4’ wide
Zones: USDA 9b-11
Light: light shade to part sun depending on your climate. In hotter parts of the country, they prefer part shade or dappled shade.
Flowers: Pinkish to white spring through summer
Uses: Flowers attract bees and hummingbirds

Pelargonium tomentosum ‘Chocolate Mint’ on 9-3-09, #31-28.

I first grew this plant in the early 1980’s when I bought several scented geraniums from Cook’s Nursery through the mail. My second try was when I lived in Mississippi in 2009 when I bought the plant from an Ebay seller. I was surprised at how big it was when it arrived.

The ‘Chocolate Mint’ scented Geranium has really neat fuzzy, dark green leaves with a brown center (which depends on the light). These plants can become fairly large and very wide. I loved the chocolate mint smell of the leaves.

It did very well for several months then it started going downhill and ultimately died. Someday, I will try it again.

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