Botanical correctness may call for them to be known as pelargoniums but generations of gardeners have known them as geraniums. There are hundreds of ornamental cultivars available, many of the upright zonal germanium, Pelargonium x hortorum, and the trailing ivy-leaved geranium, P. peltatum.
Over more than two centuries these have been cultured by amateurs and professionals alike, ranging from modest home gardeners, to pelargonium society members and commercial hybridizers.
Even earlier, however, inhabitants of their native southern Africa had recognized the medicinal properties of the umckaloabo, often simply referred to as the umcka, silverleaf or kalwerbossie geranium, but officially Pelargonium sidoides. Zulu, Xhiza and Mfengi recognized root preparations as a curative for coughs and upper respiratory afflictions.
Englishman Charles Henry Stevens claimed a similar preparation cured his tuberculosis back in 1876, notes Richters 2010 Herb Catalogue. Stevens built a business selling the root powder in Europe without revealing the origin of the medicine, and finally in 1972 German research identified the plant.
It has been approved in Germany for the pharmaceutical treatment of severe bronchitis and the root extract is sold under various brand names. According to Richters, it has been used to treat acute and chronic infections of the throat, nose and ear cavities, for sinusitis, acute and chronic bronchitis.
It was German scientists who, a few weeks ago, revealed in the open-access journal PLoS One that extracts of Pelargonium sidoides inactivate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV0-1) and prevent the virus from invading human cells. The researchers report these extracts represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 agents for the treatment of AIDS.
This South African geranium goes to join about 280 species perennial herbs, subshrubs and succulents, many of which have been found to decorate homes and gardens elsewhere. And like its kith and kin, it is an attractive and highly desirable ornamental along with its medicinal attributes.
The beautiful deep red, almost burgundy blooms are set off by aromatic felted grey foliage borne on the one- too three-foot-high shrubby plant. It has been highly recommended for beds, borders, as a groundcover or houseplant, anywhere in fact where it can enjoy full sun and a neutral to alkaline soil.
In northern climes, it requires overwintering indoors in a similar manner to its perhaps better-known relatives: potted up in early fall and cut hard back. Propagation is fairly easily achieved from softwood cuttings treated with hormone rooting powder or gel in spring, summer or fall.
Alas for Canadian gardeners, Richters is apparently no longer offer Pelargonium sidoides. In the U.S., Avant Gardens of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Hobbs Farm & Greenery in Hope, Maine, and Select Seeds Antique Flowers of Union, Connecticut, all carry plants.
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
