Pelargonium reniforme

Pelargonium reniforme, the kidney-leaf geranium or rooirabas in Afrikaans, is a hardy, upright shrublet growing from tuberous roots and reaching heights to about 40 cm.

The vividly coloured pink petals of these flowers are shiny and broader than sometimes seen. Petals are about 1 cm in length. The purple pedicels of individual flowers in the umbels are long, covered in whitish hairs. Some of the long, storkbill-like fruits have already formed on the plant.

The distribution of the species is coastal in the Western Cape from Knysna eastwards to Eastern Cape as far as Mthatha and also inland in the Fish River Valley.

The habitat is dry grassland and fynbos flats. The species is considered near threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century due to excessive harvesting for the traditional medicine trade (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).