Pelargonium spinosum new spines

New spines or leafless petioles (stalks) of Pelargonium spinosum are still pale beige shortly after the loss of their leaves. These petioles, up to 10 cm long, drop their leaves in time but persist, hardening into spines as they dry out.

The spines possibly serve to collect morning dew and dropping it over the roots, augmenting the plant’s meagre share of rainwater received in the arid habitat that demands resilience from its inhabitants. The rainfall in the area where these plants occur is up to 200 mm per annum.

The young stems of P. spinosum are smooth, apart from a sparse covering of glandular hairs. The bark peels off older stems in yellow-white papery strips (Frandsen, 2017; Le Roux, et al, 2005; www.bihrmann.com; www.pelargonium.si).