Pelargonium elegans

Pelargonium elegans is a tufted perennial reaching 45 cm in height. The leaves are elliptical, hard and sometimes hairy. They are markedly veined and have serrated margins.

The pale pink to nearly white petals have dark purple lines, vertical on the two upper petals. The lower three petals are unmarked, narrower than the upper ones. The flower tube is shorter than the pedicels. There is also a lilac flower variation. Flowering happens from spring to midsummer.

The species distribution is coastal in two discrete regions of the Western and Eastern Cape respectively, from Hermanus to Stilbaai and from Port Elizabeth to Grahamstown. The habitat is sandy soils of fynbos flats and coastal dunes. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

This is a good garden or container plant, easy to grow in sandy soil (Manning, 2007; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).