Pelargonium tetragonum young buds

Pointed green Pelargonium tetragonum buds are still bowed on curved pedicels in the afternoon sun here in the Barrydale Little Karoo. When opening approaches, the pedicel stiffens, presenting the bud tip angled up for a dramatic, though soundless moment of the parting of the petals.

The sprawling mass of green, ridged and jointed stems looks young and vibrant here after the winter rain. It allows prodigious flowering as well as the occasional leaf, a feature mostly lacking from this Pelargonium species and definitely in the dry seasons.

Stem succulence serves this plant as a reservoir for survival moisture to last it through the arid conditions sure to come where these plants grow (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist).