Pelargonium apetalum P.Taylor

Annual decumbent herb; primary stem ± ascending, branched; branches up to 1 m. long, usually slender (not more than 2.2 mm. in diameter), longitudinally grooved, sparsely pubescent and glandular, weak and straggling; internodes 2–6(–10) cm. long; vegetative parts, peduncle and pedicels glandular and pubescent; hairs patent, or somewhat appressed on the leaves; glands short-stalked to sessile.. Leaves mostly opposite (one of every pair at each node usually smaller than the the other), those towards the root occasionally alternate; lamina deltoid to broadly ovate, l.5–4.5(–6) cm. long and wide, subacute to obtuse at the apex, margin crenate, the base cordate, almost unlobed to shallowly 3– or 5(rarely 7)-lobed, membranous, hispid on both surfaces; petiole 0.8–4.8 cm. long; stipules lanceolate to ovate or deltoid, 2–4(–7) mm. long, 1–4 mm. wide, acute, often bifid, membranous, glabrous on both surfaces but ciliate along the margins.. Inflorescence of 2 (rarely 3) flowers or the flowers frequently solitary; peduncle 5–10 mm. long, leaf-opposed or in the axil of the smaller of the 2 apparently opposite leaves; free part of the pedicel 3–12 mm. long; bracts 3–6 per pedicel, lanceolate or narrowly deltoid, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.5–0.8 mm. wide, acute, membranous.. Sepals narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm. long, 0.5–2.5 mm. wide, acute, pilose and glandular, usually pinkish in colour.. Spur 1–3 mm. long, glandular.. Petals absent or if present (as in Rhodesian specimens) not more than 2.5 mm. long.. Stamens 9 or 10, all connate at the base for 0.5 mm.; antheriferous group 2–3(5), 1.8–2 mm. long; staminodes (5–)7–8, 0.9–1.2 mm. long: anthers as long as wide, 0.3-0.5 mm.. Ovary usually 3–4-locular by abortion, with basal part tomentose; rostrum pubescent; style 0.2 mm. long, hispid to pubescent; stigmas 4 in Flora area, ± 0.5 mm. long, usually twisting around each other.. Fruit 0.7–1.2 cm. long, hispid or pubescent; mericarps 2.8 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, sparsely pubescent.. Seeds 1.8–2.4 mm. long, 0.8–1.2 mm. wide, glabrous; testa minutely reticulate, pale brown.. Fig. 4.