''Pelargonium sidoides'' is a plant native to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. Its common names include African geranium and South African geranium.
Description
African geranium forms a basal rosette of
cordate
Cordate is an adjective meaning ' heart-shaped' and is most typically used for:
* Cordate (leaf shape)
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a ...
leaves with a velvet texture and a few short
trichomes
Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...
on long
petioles.
Its flowers have five dark red to nearly black petals, two of which are sometimes fused. It is often found in flower nearly year-round. It prefers to grow in grasslands with rocky soils. It can be difficult to distinguish from ''
Pelargonium reniforme'' which grows in a similar area, but tends to have more kidney-shaped leaves.
Uses
In cultivation in the UK, ''Pelargonium sidoides'' has received the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit.
If grown as a
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
it requires protection in winter, as it does not tolerate temperatures below . It needs a sunny, sheltered position.
A 2013 Cochrane review found limited to no evidence of benefit with ''Pelargonium sidoides'' root extract for the symptoms of
acute bronchitis, the
common cold and
acute rhinosinusitis.
A summary of this review found that all studies were "from the same investigator (the manufacturer) and performed in the same region (Ukraine and Russia)."
[
Root extract of ''Pelargonium sidoides'' may be sold as a dietary supplement or ]traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
under various brand names, including Umckaloabo and Zucol, but there is limited high-quality clinical evidence it provides any benefit.
References
sidoides
Flora of South Africa
Medicinal plants of Africa
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