Pelargonium desertorum

Pelargonium desertorum is an inhabitant of some of South Africa’s most arid parts in the far northwest of the Richtersveld.

Its soft, cylindrical stems are succulent. The variably rounded leaves grow on long stalks. The flowers are sometimes borne on upper branchlets, different from the regular branches by having long internodes.

The white flowers are marked purple on the upper petal pair. They appear in the first half of winter, typically after rain. The photo was taken in August (Williamson, 2010; iNaturalist; www.namibrand.com).