Pelargonium peltatum wet leaves

Shiny from rain in the Addo Elephant National Park, the leaf undulations of this Pelargonium peltatum plant adhere to a precise pattern: Channelled from the centre to the five lobe tips; the sinuses (indentations in the leaf margins between the tips) bulge upwards.

The petiole (stalk) is attached at the back in the leaf “centre”, which is on these plants not quite central. Emphasising the position of this functional centre where the veins converge a maroon marking runs around it. These markings are variable from leaf to leaf.