Pelargonium cordifolium Curtis

Erect, branched, aromatic shrub, up to 1.75 m high and 1 m in diameter. Stems herbaceous when young but soon becoming woody, pubescent to villous and with long glandular hairs interspersed, green but becoming brownish with age. Leaves: indumentum extremely variable but always with long glandular hairs; lamina cordiform, adaxially glabrate to sparsely villous and green, abaxially pubescent to villous or tomentose with a velvety texture, often greyish, base cordate, apex usually acute, margin dentate and sometimes reddish with the teeth often reddish, (20-)65(-100) x (15-)55(-90) mm; petiole (15-)70(-120) mm long; stipules narrowly triangular to triangular, cuspidate, indumentum as on stems, 8-12 x 3-7 mm. Inflorescence: flowering branches profusely branched, with smaller foliar leaves; peduncles 10-50 mm long, pubescent to densely villous and with long glandular hairs interspersed; involucral bracts ovate to narrowly triangular, acuminate, pubescent and with long glandular hairs and soft hairs in between, 6-10 x 2-4 mm; pseudo-umbels with 3-12 flowers each. Pedicel 5-15 mm long, relatively thin, pubescent to densely villous with many long glandular hairs in between. Hypanthium 2-12 mm long, prominently thickened at base, indumentum as on pedicel. Sepals lanceolate, apiculate, indumentum abaxially as on pedicel, green with a reddish-brown tint, ±12 x 2-3 mm. Petals variable in shape and colour, white to pale pink to bright purple; posterior two spathulate to obovate, apices obtuse or emarginate, with dark purple feather-like markings, reflexed at more than 90°, 20-30 x 5-15 mm; anterior three lorate to narrowly lanceolate, slightly reflexed, 15-25 x 2-4 mm. P. cordifolium flowers from August to January although the odd flower may be found as early as June. There is a definite flowering peak in spring from September to October.