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pelargonium

noun
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pel·​ar·​go·​ni·​um | \ ˌpe-lär-ˈgō-nē-əm How to pronounce pelargonium (audio) , -lər- \

Definition of pelargonium

: any of a genus (Pelargonium) of southern African herbs of the geranium family with showy flowers of usually red, pink, or white distinguished by a spurred calyx and irregular corolla

— called also geranium, storksbill

— compare rose geranium

Examples of pelargonium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Pelargonium A close cousin to the geranium, pelargonium is undoubtedly more elegant and just as easy to grow. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "5 of the Easiest Houseplants to Grow From Cuttings," 14 Dec. 2017 Just as with pelargonium, snip off a three inch piece at a node, place in water for 2-3 weeks, and presto! — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "5 Of The Easiest Houseplants To Grow From Cuttings," 14 Dec. 2017 Geraniums and pelargoniums are easy choices to propagate via this method. — Sunset, "How to Propagate Your Houseplants," 22 Jan. 2018 Seeds to start: Lobelia (20 days to germinate, seeds need light), snapdragons (10 days, seeds need light, cool), carnation (20), verbena (20), pelargonium, salvia and pansies. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "You can start poppies and raspberry bushes from seed. Here’s how," 15 Mar. 2018 As for those pelargoniums stored in the crawl space or garage upside down in paper bags, take them out this month. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Start preparing for the outdoor growing season now," 8 Feb. 2018 But this is only the beginning of the story as there are thousands of species found there, including bulbs, pelargoniums, various succulents and Phylica pubescens. — Brian Kemble, The Mercury News, "Feathery plant has strange family members," 16 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pelargonium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of pelargonium

1813, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for pelargonium

New Latin, from Greek pelargos stork (akin to Greek pelios livid, polios gray) + New Latin -nium (as in Geranium) — more at fallow

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The first known use of pelargonium was in 1813

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Cite this Entry

“Pelargonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pelargonium. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

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