# Ivy Geranium (*pelargonium peltatum*)

Ivy Geraniums are colorful flowers that can hang beautifully from pots. They love sunshine and can brighten up any garden or balcony!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Gardens, balconies, and sunny spots around homes.
- **Also known as:** Cascade Geranium, Pansy Geranium, Trailing Geranium

![Ivy Geranium](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ivy_geranium.1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: روتانا, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivy_geranium.1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Ivy Geranium has distinctive glossy, ivy-shaped leaves, typically bright green, with some varieties having zones of darker coloration. Its abundant clusters of five-petaled flowers come in shades of pink, red, lavender, and white, often with delicate markings, trailing elegantly from stems.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Geraniales
- **Family:** Geraniaceae
- **Genus:** Pelargonium

## Interesting facts

- In its native South Africa, it can be found growing wild, cascading over rocks and bushes.
- Its scientific name, Pelargonium, comes from the Greek word for stork, due to its seed pods resembling a stork's beak!
- Ivy Geraniums are often called 'Geraniums', but true Geraniums are a different plant family!
- Some historical remedies used its leaves for minor skin ailments, though not a common medicine today.

## Special abilities

- **Thirsty Survivor:** Ivy Geranium can store water in its slightly succulent stems and leaves, helping it survive short periods of drought.
- **Cascading Climber:** Its long, trailing stems allow it to cascade beautifully from hanging baskets or climb over walls, providing ground cover.
- **Self-Cleaning Bloom:** Some varieties drop faded flowers naturally, meaning it takes less effort to keep it looking fresh and vibrant.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Spread:** 30-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-4 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to fall, year-round in warm climates
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits flowers to collect nectar and pollen.
- **Eats:** Green Peach Aphid (*Myzus persicae*) — Feeds on sap from leaves and stems.
- **Eats:** Two-spotted Spider Mite (*Tetranychus urticae*) — Feeds on plant cells, causing stippling.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Ivy Geranium?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Ivy Geranium?

30-100 cm

### How wide does Ivy Geranium spread?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Ivy Geranium?

2-4 cm

### When does Ivy Geranium bloom?

Spring to fall, year-round in warm climates

### Is Ivy Geranium edible?

No

### Is Ivy Geranium toxic?

Mild

### What is Ivy Geranium's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/el-presidio-de-santa-barbara-state-historic-park) — California, US · Historic Site

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Ivy Geranium: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ivy-geranium)