Pelargonium tetragonum

Pelargonium tetragonum, the square-stemmed pelargonium, is a sprawling plant that grows soft, four-angled stems from a single-stemmed base to heights around 50 cm. The species is xerophytic, meaning that it is adapted for growing in dry environments.

The cream or pale pink flowers are four-petalled, the upper two have dark maroon to purple lines from the base. The flowers occur in pairs on the stalks. Flowering time is spring to early summer.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape from Worcester eastwards to the Eastern Cape as far as Makhanda (Grahamstown), parallel to but away from the coast.

The habitat is inland, arid areas among karoid thicket. The plants grow in clay soils, adapted to both summer and winter rainfall conditions. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

This is one of the Pelargonium species that does not produce aromatic oils (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).