PELARGONIUM

Pelargonium, genus Pelargonium

(noun) geraniums native chiefly to South Africa; widely cultivated

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

pelargonium (plural pelargoniums or pelargonia)

Any of various flowering plants of the genus Pelargonium, commonly called geraniums.

Usage notes

Geranium is also the genus of plants commonly known as cranesbills. The cause of the confusion is that the two genera were earlier regarded as being one, called Geranium.

Noun

Pelargonium (uncountable)

an extract of the rose geranium, Pelargonium sidoides, used as an alternative medicine

Source: Wiktionary

Pel`ar*go"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Definition: A large genus of plants of the order Geraniaceæ, differing from Geranium in having a spurred calyx and an irregular corolla.

Note: About one hundred and seventy species are known, nearly all of them natives of South Africa, and many having very beautiful blossoms. See the Note under Geranium.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition