Pelargonium desertorum stem-tip

A Pelargonium desertorum stem-tip can be soft and pale green in the growing season, but only at the very tip. Leaf stalks emerge in a spaced spiral from it.

Some rudimentary stipules, indistinct but triangular to rounded, are present at the base of the youngest leaves (Williamson, 2010; iNaturalist; www.namibrand.com).