PlantFiles: Kalwerbossie, Rabassam, South African Geranium
Pelargonium sidoides

Unlike other pelargoniums that get nipped when temperatures fall into the 20s, this one stays green through the winter. It also withstands the heat of summer without flagging. An easy-care plant.

Wonderful plant in southern California! Clumps readily, easy to divide and spread or share, but easy to keep controlled as well. Great grey-green foliage color contrasts well with the crimson flowers. Plan to try this on the east coast and see if it can take the humidity.

Native to South Africa. Reported medicinal uses for respiratory problems.

I bought two of these plants last spring; the dusty, gray/mauve of the leaves and the beautiful, dark flowers were a wonderful addition to my raised bed. This past winter (2008-09) we had temps down to 17F, and it was 18F for a few days in a row. I thought for sure I had lost both plants, but no! Patience is rewarded! In mid-May the forlorn-looking clumps started sending out new leaves, and now are slowly filling out again.
I have read that pelargonium sidoides has a network of thick, underground branches - an adaptation that enables it to survive brush fires. I wonder if this adaptation helped it survive the potentially killing temperatures of this past winter as well.
This is a lovely plant, and a great choice for an herb or medicinal garden. It has been used for hundreds of years in South Africa as an effective folk remedy for upper respiratory infections including tuberculosis, pneumonia, bronchitis, the flu and the common cold, and for Strep throat.

Grows wild in South Africa, has almost been extinguished there because the natives harvest it for the drug manufacturers for its strong antibiotic properties.

I have grown this for 3 years, was hard to start from original softwood cutting. However, once established, the babies can be clipped, dropped on moist soil, and I get 99% success rate.

Great xeriscape plant in So. California. I do NOTHING to it, and it just stays as a nice mound, doesn't seem invasive after 3 years. So far, it has been rejected by spider mites, slugs, snails, caterpillars, aphids, whiteflies. Perhaps this is due to the strong antibiotic chemical in the roots. Everything else around it gets attacked by pests.

Tolerates drought, hardy in humid beach weather, 40 degrees to 95 degrees, takes sun or partial sun. Blooms all year. I don't feed it, just water a little more in July, August.

I have had this for years now, in a couple of places as I rooted a piece from the original plant. When it gets too big and woody, I cut it back and it eventually fills back in.

One of my favourite species Pelargoniums. The silvery leaves are very attractive in their own right, but the flowers are unusually dark and smouldering. It needs careful placement with ither plants, but can look quite breathtaking.
Do not over water and use free draining gritty compost.