A geophyte with a series of more or less massive subterranean tubers and a reduced annual aerial branch system, deciduous during summer, up to ±60 cm tall when flowering, sometimes forming clonal colonies. Stems smooth, herbaceous, sparsely sericeous with much shorter glandular hairs interspersed with the trichomes, green. Leaves herbaceous, indumentum as on stems, green; lamina simple to 3-5-lobed to 3-5-pinnate, cordiform in outline, base cordate, apices rounded, margins lobed to 3rd degree, up to 40 cm long and wide but often only half this size; petiole shorter than lamina, up to ±15 cm long, persistent; stipules triangular, up to 8 mm long and 7 mm wide, membranous, indumentum as on stems, persistent. Inflorescence an axillary pseudo-umbel of up to 25 almost regular flowers, borne on an unbranched peduncle up to 40 cm long and 3 mm in diameter which is carried on the annual branch system; bracts subtending pseudo-umbel narrowly triangular, apices acuminate, basal 1 mm fused into a bracteal column, free lobes ±3.5 mm long and 0.8 mm wide at base, sericeous, green to wine-red. Pedicel short, 2-3 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, covered in glandular hairs. Hypanthium 2.5-3.0 cm long, covered in glandular hairs. Sepals 5, free, triangular, apices acute, adaxially glabrous and abaxially pilose, green with hyaline margins, 4-7 mm long and 1.5-3.0 mm wide. Petals 5, free, subequal, dirty yellowish with centre to a greater or lesser extent dark purple black, obovate-spathulate with bases acute and apices rounded, reflexed at base at ±90° at anthesis, eventually becoming reflexed at ±130°; posterior two 10-13 mm long and 3-6 mm wide; anterior three 9,5-13 mm long and 3.5-5.0 mm wide. Stamens 10, basal 1.5-3.0 mm fused into a staminal column, fertile stamens 6, unequal: 4 long and 1 short at maturity; filaments flattened, yellowish green; anthers ±1 mm long, oval. Ovary superior, ovoid, densely covered in silky apically-directed trichomes, 1.5-3.0 mm long and ±1.5 mm wide, pale green; style 1-2 mm long, purple to yellowish orange; stigma 5-partite, each branch 1-2 mm long, purple to yellowish orange; fruit a schizocarp consisting of 5 1-seeded mericarps, head of mericarp 5-6 mm long, tail plumose and 2.5-3.5 cm long. Pelargonium lobatum flowers throughout the growing season, i.e. during the cool and rainy months of autumn, winter, and spring.
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A geophyte with exposed parts poorly developed, deciduous, unarmed, up to 500 mm tall when in flower. Exposed stems smooth, basally hard and woody, distally herbaceous and densely velutinous and with numerous glandular hairs, initially green but turning brown with age, up to 900 mm long and 5-8 mm thick. Leaves basal, prostrate, simple, pinnatilobate to 3-foliolate, herbaceous, velutinous with scattered glandular hairs interspersed; lamina ovate to cordiform in outline, base cordate, apices of segments rounded, margins crenately dentate, 100-200 x 80-320 mm; petiole up to 320 mm long, deciduous; stipules cordiform to ovate with apices acute, ±13 x 9-10 mm, initially membranous and densely velutinous and with numerous glandular hairs, conspicuously ciliate, but becoming scarious and glabrous with age. Inflorescence a stout unbranched peduncle 120-350 mm long and 2.0-2.5 mm in diameter, carrying a pseudo-umbel of 6-15 almost regular flowers. Pedicel much shorter than hypanthium: 1-2 mm long, densely velutinous and with glandular hairs. Hypanthium 25-35 mm long. Sepals narrowly ovate with apices acute, abaxially densely velutinous and with scattered glandular hairs, adaxially almost glabrous, margins ciliate, yellow-green with margins hyaline, 4-8 x 1.0-2.5 mm. Petals 5, almost equal, 9-12 x 2.5-5.0 mm, dull yellow and mostly with an extensive black centre marking leaving the yellow ground colour only visible along the margins, spathulate with apices rounded; posterior two reflexed at ±90° near base and slightly inflexed at apex; anterior three orientated similarly to posterior petals but less markedly reflexed. Fertile stamens 7 (4 long, 3 short and equalling staminodes), pollen pale yellow. Ovary pear-shaped, ±3 x 2.0-2.5 mm, densely covered by apically-directed hairs, pale green; style ±1 mm long; stigma 5-branched, deep red; mericarp base ± 6 mm long, tail ±30 mm long. The flowering period is well defined, stretching from June to December with a marked peak in September.
Geophyte with hard, woody tuber. Leaves prostrate, ovate, ± lobed, softly hairy, to 30 cm diam. Flowers to 20 on a stout peduncle, 15-18 mm diam., usually black with yellow margins to petals, clove-scented at night; hypanthium 25-35 mm long, much longer than pedicel.
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