Geranium incanum Burm.f.
Carpet Geranium · Horlosies, Vrouetee (Afr.)
Spreading carpet geranium with fine grey-green leaves (incanum means "hoary grey") and pink to mauve flowers.
What’s in the name: Geranium: from the Greek for "crane", after the beak-like fruit; incanum: "hoary grey".
“Nature never wears a mean appearance.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (1836), Project Gutenberg
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Geraniaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants (assessed as Geranium incanum Burm.f. var. incanum)
Natural distribution & habitat
South-western and eastern parts of South Africa, scrambling through other vegetation.
Flowering
Spring to early summer.
Uses in landscaping
- Groundcover for banks and border edges
- Trailing over walls, steps and paths
- Pots and hanging baskets
Care notes
Easy from seed (spring or autumn) or cuttings; use cuttings to keep a particular colour form. Seedlings vary from pale to dark.
Find out more
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Geranium incanum'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Geranium incanum Burm.f. var. incanum (assessment 2005/06/30).