I've never really understood this. I suppose they 'kind of' look similar, but so do tons of other plants. Surprised to find a forum that includes both. I'm a geranium person, with nary a pelargonium to be found in my universe. Anyway, I'm curious how/why they apparently are considered kissing cousins? Thanks, and no offense intended to the pelargonium folk. To each their own.

I have wondered this often too. The two plants don't even flatter each other when planted in a pot.
I have 2 hardy geraniums that have been returning in spring for almost 40 years. When I find a little seedling volunteering I have been potting them up in great soil and babying them all summer, putting all in the dirt before October first. These plants are so much stronger, larger and have more flowers than seedlings left to grow where they land.

They are both members of the family Geraniaceae so they are closely related. Pelargoniums were originally classified as Geraniums and the confusion has lasted for hundreds of years.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu...

Thanks Danita. From that article (mostly about pelargoniums), seems like just a mix-up. Be that as it may, I have a winter project to match up my geranium photos to their proper cultivar name and am wondering if posting in this forum for ID would be better or should I just use the Plant ID forum? I have a list of the cultivars I have purchased over the years, but most are planted in a shared bed under a grape trellis so there is some confusion re which photo belongs to which cultivar. I guess my question might better be posed: does this forum focus on geraniums AND pelargoniums, or is it mostly pelargoniums? They seem so different to me, and a quick roll down the threads seemed to be mostly about pelargoniums.

I would post in the ID forum, more folks frequent that one.