Pelargonium scabrum

Pelargonium scabrum, in Afrikaans commonly the hoenderbos (chicken bush) or hoendervoetbos (chicken foot bush), is a finely hairy shrub with lemon-scented, deeply lobed, pale to yellowish green leaves. The leaf margins and lobe tips are angularly toothed, the teeth and tips pointing forward and outwards.

The flowers are white or pale pink, blooming from late winter to the end of summer. The two upper petals are rounded and have small dark purple markings at the base. The lower three are narrowly oval and unmarked.

The species distribution is along the west coast and south coast from Namaqualand to the Eastern Cape. The plants grow on sandstone slopes and rocky, semi-arid land. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).