Pelargonium reniforme

Pelargonium reniforme, the kidney-leaf geranium, rabassam or rooirabas (red rabas) in Afrikaans, is a hardy, upright shrublet reaching heights to about 40 cm. The multistemmed, tuberous-rooted plant resprouts after fire.

The vividly coloured pink petals of these flowers are shiny and broader than sometimes seen. Petals are about 1 cm in length. The purple pedicels of individual flowers in the umbels are long, covered in whitish hairs. Some of the long, storkbill-like fruits have already formed on the plant.

The species distribution is coastal in the Western Cape from Knysna eastwards to Eastern Cape as far as Mthatha and also inland in the Fish River Valley.

The habitat is dry grassland and fynbos flats. The habitat population is considered near threatened early in the twenty first century, due to excessive harvesting for the traditional medicine trade.

P. reniforme is heavily harvested for its herbal medicine properties from the Eastern Cape veld where it grows naturally. This has been going on for hundreds of years already, from the times of Khoi and San tribes that roamed that countryside in search of food and other “groceries”. The plant is dug up for the succulent roots that contain the medicinal substances. Bronchitis and stomach disorders count among the ailments treated with remedies made from this plant (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).