Subject: Re: Citrosa??

From: [email-masked] (Beverly Erlebacher)
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 21:54:46 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> "Gregory J. Long, Ph.D." <[email-masked]> writes:
>
>My mother and father-in-law have just bought a flat of plants called 
>Citrosa.  The garden center employee told them that this plant will repel 
>mosquitos.  When you touch the leaves it does seem to leave a citronella 
>odor on your hand.  Does anybody know anything else about these plants?  
>The gardener thinks they are in the geranium family, but I can't find 
>anything about them in my usual sources of horticulture information.  The 
>claim is that one plant will protect a 100 square foot area against 
>mosquitos.  Any info appreciated.  

It's a scented geranium, possibly a cross with the rose geranium as one
parent.  It's an attractive plant with a pleasant smell, but don't count
on it having a big effect on the mosquito count.  They are not hardy, but
you can overwinter them indoors.

Richter's Herbs sells them, and the catalog has a good description including
a recounting (and debunking) of the urban legend that the plants are the
result of genetic engineering experiments.

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada