Pelargonium tongaense

Pelargonium tongaense, commonly the Tonga pelargonium, is a bushy, spreading herb reaching 30 cm to 40 cm in height. The plants are deciduous, dying back in winter, about the only time when they don’t produce flowers freely. The five-petalled, scarlet flowers are borne in umbel-like heads of three to eight on long stalks.

The stems are light green with simple, lobed, softly hairy leaves. The lobe tips are angled or rounded, the leaves about 5 cm in diameter. The petioles vary in length, up to 12 cm long.

The species is endemic to a small area in Maputaland near the Pongola River in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The habitat is forest, bushveld and savanna terrain in sandy soils. The plant is rare but its population stable, so deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

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

There is a close resemblance to P. inquinans (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).