Species · genus Pelargonium · Geraniaceae

Lemon-scent Pelargonium

Pelargonium citronellum J.J.A.van der Walt

Also known as: Citronella Pelargonium · Lemon-scented Pelargonium · Lemon-scented Storksbill · Lemonbalm Storksbill

Growth habit

shrub

Native range

Cape Provinces

Reference · P. citronellum

Cultivars of P. citronellum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. citronellum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A woody, aromatic shrub from the Cape Provinces of South Africa, adapted to a dry-summer Mediterranean climate with bright sun and sharp drainage. Give it the brightest spot you have and a gritty, fast-draining mix, then let the top two inches of soil dry out before watering again. It resents standing wet and will rot if kept damp, so err toward the dry side.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, free-draining potting mix

Propagation

Softwood stem cuttings

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed every two weeks in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Pale pink blooms in the warm months in bright light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Geranium — geraniol + linalool; vomiting, anorexia, depression, dermatitis. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Lemon-scent Pelargonium yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.