Pelargonium desertorum Vorster

An erect aromatic shrublet with slender stems, fairly well branched, deciduous in nature, up to 300 mm tall and slightly less in diameter. Stems initially smooth but becoming rough with age, succulent, densely covered with very short-stalked glandular hairs and reddish brown at first but turning glabrous and greyish brown with age. Leaves simple, membranous, densely covered in short-stalked glandular hairs, green; lamina orbicular in outline, base decurrent, apex rounded, margin shallowly 5-lobed and lobes obtusely dentate, 10-20(30) mm long and 10-20(25) mm wide; petiole 8-20(50) mm long, persistent after lamina has fallen; stipules triangular, 1.5-2.0 mm long and ±1 mm wide, glandular-like lamina, persistent. Inflorescence of 2(3)-4(6)-flowered pseudo-umbels borne sub-terminally on either ordinary branches or on inflorescence branches distinguished by longer internodes; bracts subtending umbel usually more than number of flowers developing, narrowly ovate with apices acute, gradually recurving, 7-8 mm long and 1.5-2.0 mm wide, pale green. Pedicel 20-35 mm long, sparsely pubescent and with short-stalked glandular hairs. Hypanthium variable: usually shorter than but occasionally equalling pedicel, 2-23 mm long. Sepals narrowly ovate with apices acute, recurved after anthesis, indumentum as on pedicel, green and often tinged with purple at base and along margins, 7-8 mm long and 1.5-2.0 mm wide. Petals 5, narrowly spathulate with margins slightly revolute, white; posterior two slightly wider than anterior three: 12-13 mm long and 4-5 mm wide, spaced close together, reflexed at less than 90° in middle, with a purple tinge near base of claw; anterior three gradually recurved, 12-13 mm long and 3.5-4.0 mm wide, spaced at more or less right angles relative to each other, with a diffuse purple tinge at base. Stamens 10, consisting of 3 staminodes and 7 fertile stamens, of different lengths as per illustration, basally fused into a staminal column, filaments and anthers purple, pollen orange. Ovary ovoid, densely pilose with apically directed trichomes, green; stigma with 5 recurved branches, purple; fruit unknown.