Pelargonium karooicum

Pelargonium karooicum, in Afrikaans the Karoomalva (Karoo pelargonium), is a deciduous shrublet reaching heights around 65 cm. It is usually seen tangled among the branches of other low-growing shrubs, maybe for shelter against browsers that often choose its leaves for a bite. Lower stems become woody, the upper young ones soft and succulent.

This plant was seen near Oudtshoorn at the eastern extreme of the species distribution in nature that ranges westwards to the semi-arid coastal region and northwards through Namaqualand to the Richtersveld.

The habitat is karoid, the plants growing on rocky slopes in clay soils. The species is not considered threatened early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).