Botanical name:

Geranium traversii

Common name(s):

Chatham Island geranium

About:

These perennial rosette herbs have the remarkable ability to form dense patches that can extend up to an impressive size of 80x60cm, showcasing a striking array of silvery grey to greyish-green basal leaves. In their natural habitat, these plants display a wide spectrum of flower colours, ranging from pure white through soft pinks to deeper shades that approach a vibrant purple, and the leaves themselves are sometimes surprisingly purple-coloured as well. Further selections of these plants may indeed prove to be quite rewarding for gardeners and horticulturists alike. Notably, it stands out as one of the few Chatham Islands endemics that can be grown with relative ease in just about any location throughout New Zealand.

Natural habitat: 

Coastal cliffs, consolidated or mobile sand dunes, steep peat-filled crevices, limestone cliffs and rocks, rock crevices and erosion hollows.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Drought, Shade, Salt, Wind, Coastal, Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Chatham Islands group. Known from all the main islands, islets and rock stacks except The Forty Fours, Sisters, Pyramid and Western Reef.

Height: 80cm

Flowering:  

July-June (peaking in summer) with a red/pink or white coloured flower/s 

Fruiting:

July-June with a black to reddish brown seed

Uses: 

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food, Riparian plantings, Pioneer Plantings & Flowers

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed. Very amenable to cultivation thriving in most situations. Does not like excessive moisture and does best in full sun. 

** Seed germinates without pre treatment. Sow seed direct & keep moist until germination is complete.