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COMMON NAME: Umckaloabo
LATIN NAME: Pelargonium Sidoides
ORIGIN: Cape Province of South Africa
HABITAT: South Africa. Currently, there are about 50 varieties of Pelargonium. The plant is quite unpretentious, that is why it has gained popularity among lovers of houseplants. Light-loving plants that easily tolerate a lack of moisture do not winter in the open ground.
BOTANIСAL INFORMATION: Umckaloabo (lat. Pelargonium sidoides) is a species of the South African genus Pelargōnium of the Geraniaceae family. The genus is extensive, includes 250 species that grow mainly in South Africa, as well as in Australia and Asia Minor.
Umckaloabo is an indoor plant with starchy tubers. The stems are straight or creeping and branched. The leaves of the plant are opposite with stipules, simple, palmate, dissected, usually with glandular pubescence. The flowers are bisexual, slightly zygomorphic (irregular) with a double perianth, usually in definite inflorescences. The plant has five petals and usually ten stamens. The fruit of Umckaloabo is a box with the remaining sepals. The main conditions for successful growth and flowering are heat and light. The plant propagates by seeds and cuttings (quicksets).
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Pelargonium Sidoides contains phenolic compounds in large quantities: coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins. Biologically active substances were found in Pelargonium: citronellol (65–70%), as well as geraniol, terpeneol, linalool, borneol (terpene alcohols), terpenes (a-pinene, fellandren), esters (acetic, butanoic, valerianic, formic acids), ketones, phenol - eugenol, and others.
HISTORY:
The first species of Pelargonium were found in Africa.
In Europe, it appeared at the end of the XVI century. Umckaloabo was bred by English breeders in the form we see it nowadays. Pelargonium got its name in 1789, before that the plant was called geranium, which continues up to this day. At the same time, geranium and Pelargonium are two different plant species, although they belong to the same family. They vary in the shape of their flowers. In addition, Pelargonium, unlike geranium, cannot be crossed with any other species. They are distinguished by the growing conditions; Pelargonium absolutely does not tolerate cold. It is believed that in terms of its energy parameters, geranium is a talisman flower that protects its owners and the whole house from quarrels and misfortunes.
"Pelargonium" comes from the Greek "pelargos" - a stork, since the fruits are similar to the beak of a stork, and "geranium" comes from the Greek word "geranos", which means crane.
*This article is for informational purposes only. We suggest consulting with a physician before using these or any other herbal supplements.
