Pelargonium spinosum

Pelargonium spinosum, commonly in the vernacular of the old days the noerap and in Afrikaans the gifdoring (poison thorn), is a caudiciform shrub that is spiny, deciduous and aromatic, reaching heights around 1,5 m and spreading to 2,5 m. The base of the main succulent stem becomes up to 5 cm in diameter. The mature plant reaches a rounded shape, sometimes becoming an imposing bush in its bare and arid habitat.

The inflorescence of P. spinosum is a pseudo-umbel comprising 3 to 10 flowers. The flowers are white with maroon-red markings on the tall, narrow posterior (upper) petal pair only. Flower diameter is about 4,5 cm.

This species is found in the far northwest of the Northern Cape, the Richtersveld part of Namaqualand, as well as in southwestern Namibia. 

The habitat is steep slopes of rocky outcrops and crevices, also dry, sandy riverbeds. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Frandsen, 2017; iNaturalist; www.bihrmann.com; www.pelargonium.si; http://redlist.sanbi.org).