Rose geranium

''Pelargonium capitatum'' is one of several species known as rose geranium or rose-scented pelargonium in English. The popular names refer to the scent of the essential oils extracted from glandular tissue, not the flowers, which have hardly any scent to speak of. Some of the species are known as kusmalva in Afrikaans.

It is in the subgenus ''Pelargonium'' along with ''Pelargonium graveolens'', ''Pelargonium tomentosum'' and ''Pelargonium crispum''.