If you enjoy plants with a fragrance, then scented pelargoniums are definitely for you! Plants with fragrant flowers are wonderful, but only for a brief period. After that, you have to bide your time and wait patiently for the next flowering. The fragrance in scented pelargoniums, on the other hand, is on the leaves and is always there.These understated, classy plants release various scents, such as rose, citrus, fruit, mint, nuts and spice. Special glands at the base of leaf hairs produce small beads of fragrant oil. Rubbing, crushing or brushing the leaf releases this fragrance. Some of the scents are quite pronounced and people can readily agree on the identity of the fragrances. For instance, there is no mistaking the strong peppermint scent ofPelargonium tomentosum or the lemon scent of P. crispum. Others, like strawberry or coconut are less pronounced and don't always seem convincing. You might say the scent is in the nose of the beholder. There is also a group of plants that have no definable scent. They may smell strong, but don't smell like anything in particular. These are most often referred to as 'pungent.' The scents are thought to have evolved as a defense against grazing animals.
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