Pelargonium hirtipetalum E.M.Marais

A deciduous geophyte with a regular subterranean tuber, 70-160 mm tall when in flower. Tuber: a turnip-shaped or elongated root, sometimes with more than one stem-growing point, covered with flaking dark brown periderms, 18-35 mm long and 12-30 mm in diameter. Leaves: radical, regularly pinnatisect, petiolate; lamina elliptic in outline, 50-110 mm long, pinnae 15-40 mm long, irregularly pinnatilobed to pinnatisect, sometimes deeply incised so that segments are laciniate, segments 1-3 mm wide, apices obtuse, margins ciliate, adaxially sparsely hirsute and abaxially densely hirsute with appressed stiff hairs; petiole 25-95(-120) mm long and 1-1.5 mm in diameter, erecto-patent, densely hirsute with long and short appressed hairs; stipules subulate, adnate to petioles for half their length, 5-15 x 1-1.5 mm, ciliate. Inflorescence: scape 10-90 mm long, pale green, densely covered with glandular hairs and appressed curly hairs and sparsely interspersed with long erect hairs, branched, bearing 2-6 pseudo-umbellets with 3-8(-10) flowers each; peduncles 15-100 mm long, indumentum as on scape, pale green; bracts lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, abaxially densely hirsute with distally appressed hairs; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel ±0.5 mm long. Hypanthium 11-20(-25) mm long, 1.2-2.3, times the length of the sepals, pale green to reddish green, densely covered with glandular hairs and short appressed curly hairs. Sepals 5, lanceolate, apices acute, 7-11 x 1.2-3 mm, posterior one erect, others reflexed, indumentum abaxially as on hypanthium, reddish green, margins white. Petals 5, yellow, adaxially and abaxially covered with soft hairs, claws forming a sheath and apices patent during anthesis; posterior two with wine-red feather-like markings spathulate, laterally curved, 15-24 x 3.2-5.5 mm, length/width ratio 3.2-5, claws 6.5-12 mm long, apices rounded, truncate or emarginate; anterior three spathulate, 13-21 x 2.5-4.5 mm, bases attenuate, apices rounded. Stamens 10, basally connate, stamina column 0.5-1 mm long, smooth, white; perfect stamens 5, posterior one 1.5-3 mm long, lateral two 4-6 mm long, anterior two 6-7.5 mm long, slightly shorter than the sepals, curved upwards during anthesis, white; staminodes 1-2 mm long; anthers yellow 1.5-2 mm long, pollen orange. Gynoecium: ovary superior oblong-conical, 5-Iobed, 2.5-4.5 mm long, densely sericeous style filiform, 0.5-2 mm long, pale green; stigma with 5 recurved branches, 0.5-1.5 mm long, adaxially pale pink. Fruit: a schizocarp consisting of 5 mericarps, bases of mericarps 4.5-6 mm long with glandular hairs, tails 27-33 mm long.