Pelargonium xerophyton

Pelargonium xerophyton is a caudiciform member of this large and varied genus. This means that it has thick branched succulent stems that retain water, a survival feature in its arid habitat.

Flowers are usually white, rarely pink or cream. They are five-petalled with small feathery pink markings on the top two petals. The pollen is noticeably orange. The leaves are small, round to obovate, dentate especially near the apices and crowding at the stem tips. Leaves dry out in summer when the plant flowers, as can be seen in the picture taken in November. Plants reach a height above 50 cm only in especially favourable conditions. Stems may grow to a diameter of nearly 2 cm.

The plant grows in the Richtersveld, the north-western corner of South Africa in the Northern Cape, as well as in the southern to central parts of Namibia (www.bihrmann.com; www2.arnes.si; http://redlist.sanbi.org).