Pelargonium tongaense

Pelargonium tongaense is a bushy, spreading herb reach 40 cm in height. The plants are deciduous, dying back in winter, about the only time when they don’t produce flowers.

The stems are light green with simple, lobed leaves. The scarlet flowers borne in heads of three to eight on long stalks have established the species strongly in the gardening world, especially subtropical environments.

The species is endemic to a small area in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

It grows there in forested and savanna terrain near the Pongola River in sandy soil. The plant is rare but its population is still stable, so not considered threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

P. tongaense performs in shade as well as sunny conditions with average watering in well-drained soil. Its adaptability makes it a horticultural asset. The plants may rot in wet winters.

There is a close resemblance to P. inquinans (www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).