Pelargonium ovale subsp. ovale leaves

The leaves of Pelargonium ovale subsp. ovale are presented erectly on long, stiff petioles that grow from short stems. The stems branch near the ground. They have scaled surfaces. Leaf stalks are sometimes about double the length of the leaf blades. A velvety covering of short white hairs is found upon the leaves.

The ovale specific name denotes the ovate, oval or spoon-shaped form of the leaves that earned the plant the Afrikaans common name of lepelblaarmalva. Pale midribs and lateral veins, prominent on the lower leaf surfaces, fan upwards and outwards conspicuously across the leaf blades to the serrated margins (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2009; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).