It is from this sub-genus that the zonal pelargoniums, commonly called geraniums, are derived. As with many plants which have been raised from a number of different species by cross-breeding over a long period of time, it is impossible to be sure of the parents, w h i c h have been used to produce the many hybrids now in existence. Systematic breeding is a development of the twentieth century and few hybridists kept detailed records in earlier times; but it is traditionally thought that the main parent species used in developing the zonal hybrids were Pelargonium inquinans (introduced in 1714) and Pelargonium zonale (introduced in 1710), but it is more than likely that other species such as P. scandens, P. frutetorum and P. hybridum were also involved.
