Pelargonium capitatum is one of several species (including Pelargonium graveolens) 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 (meaning, roughly, "coastal geranium") in Afrikaans. It is found in fynbos along the coast of South Africa, from Lamberts Bay in the Western Cape east to Kwazulu-Natal. It is a popular and convenient ornamental plant and it also is one of the species of Pelargonium cultivated as a source of essential oils.