Pelargonium klinghardtense

Pelargonium klinghardtense, previously known in the botanical world as P. jacobii (in 1954) and P. paradoxum (in 1789, the year of the French Revolution) respectively, is a deciduous stem succulent commonly called a pachycaul. It grows thick, tall branches and several smaller leaf-bearing ones from the base and higher up, to heights around 60 cm.

In picture there is a tall, thick stem at the back, a pair of greyish, stem-tip leaf rosettes in the front and between them a tall, slender, pale green flower stalk covered in tomorrow’s flowers.

The species is distributed in the north of the Richtersveld and the south of Namibia, known to grow near the mouth of the Gariep River. It is named after the Klinghardt Mountains of the Sperrgebiet in southern Namibia.

The plants grow in an arid habitat, often wedged between rocks on exposed outcrops in gritty soil. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Frandsen, 2017; Le Roux, et al, 2005; www.pelargonium.si; http://llifle.com; www.bihrmann.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).