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Pelargonium crispum

Common name:	Lemon Geranium	Family:	Geraniaceae
Author:	(P.J.Bergius.)L'Hé r.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa.
Habitat:	Dry lower slopes in sandy soil amongst boulders in the south-west Cape[260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Geranium crispum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Gooseberry Geranium [H], Lemon-scented Geranium [H], Peach Geranium [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	crispum = curly
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Geraniales. Geranium family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.7m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment Tea.

The leaves have a pleasant lemon aroma[238]. They are crushed and used to flavour soups, fruit dishes, jellies, sorbets, ice-cream, cakes etc[183, 238]. Cake pans can be lined with the leaves and the pastry will be infused with their essence[183].
An infusion of the leaves is used as a tea[238].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent.

All parts of the plant are astringent[4]. It can be harvested as required and used fresh[238].

Other Uses

Essential Pot-pourri.

An essential oil is obtained from the leaves and young shoots. Strawberry and citral-scented[46], it is used in perfumery and soap making[61].
The leaves are dried for pot-pourri and for making herb pillows[238].

Cultivation details

Requires a light well-drained neutral to alkaline soil in a sunny position[188, 200]. Plants are tolerant of some shade[238]. In order to maintain their native habit, plants require fairly dry conditions in a very sunny position[260].
Plants are not very cold-hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -3° c[260]. They generally require greenhouse protection but might succeed outdoors when grown in a very sheltered warm spot in the mildest parts of the country[1]. They can also be grown in containers that are placed outdoors in the summer and then brought into the greenhouse or conservatory for the winter[238]. The plants need to be kept fairly dry in the winter[200].
The bruised leaves release a strong lemon scent, rather like lemon verbena[245].
Very tolerant of pruning, they can be cut right down to the base in the autumn when bringing them back indoors, or in the spring to encourage lots of fresh growth[238].
A number of named varieties have been selected for their ornamental and/or culinary value[183, 238].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Stored seed should be sown in early spring in a greenhouse. The seed germinates best with a minimum temperature of 13° c, germination usually taking place within 2 weeks though it sometimes takes some months[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. If trying them outdoors, plant them out in early summer and consider giving them extra protection during the winter.
Cuttings succeed at almost any time in the growing season but early summer is the best time in order for the new plant to become established before winter.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The bruised leaves release a strong lemon scent, rather like lemon verbena[245].

Cultivars

'Prince Rupert': The small ruffled leaves have a very strong citrus scent[183]. A strong upright grower, it makes a good pot plant[183].
'Orange' 'Citronella' 'Prince of Orange': The leaves have an orange or citronella fragrance[183]. A low bushy plant with exceptional viola-like blooms of lavender with maroon spots[183].
'Lemon Crispum' 'Fingerbowl Geranium': The small crinkled leaves have a strong lemon fragrance[183]. They are good for cooking or pot-pourri[183]. This is the geranium traditionally used in finger bowls[183]. The plant has an upright growth habit[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Geraniaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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