Appearance
''Pelargonium capitatum'' is a low shrub up to about 100 cm in height and 1.5 m across. The stems are soft and coated in green, glandular hairs. Brushing against a bush releases a copious scent of the essential oil from damaged hairs. The scent varies from faint sweetness to a strong rosy scent. The flowers range from white through various shades of pink to purple. Its preferred habitat is on sand dunes, but it is a fast grower on any reasonable base, including hard clayey soil, so it readily colonises disturbed habitat. ''Pelargonium capitatum'' is one of a number of related plants that have become a major problem in coastal regions of southwest Western Australia, where it invades banksia woodland and coastal heathland. It can be easily propagated from seed or cuttings, and grows best in well-drained sandy soils.
Naming
''Pelargonium'' comes from the Greek ''pelargos'', which means stork. Another name for pelargoniums is storksbills due the shape of their fruit. The epithet ''capitatum'' refers to the head-shaped flowers leaves.Distribution
It is found in fynbos along the coast of South Africa, from Lamberts Bay in the Western Cape east to Kwazulu-Natal. Its habitat is usually beach sand or other well-drained sandy soils. It is a popular and convenient ornamental plant and it also is one of the species of ''Pelargonium'' cultivated as a source of essential oils.References:
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