Pelargonium pubipetalum E.M.Marais

A deciduous geophyte with a regular subterranean tuber, 50-80(-140) mm tall when in flower. Tuber: a turnip-shaped or elongated root covered with flaking dark brown periderms, 20-40 mm long and 10-20 mm in diameter. Leaves: radical, regularly pinnatisect, petiolate; lamina elliptic in outline, 35-40 mm long, pinnae 10-25 x 5-9 mm, abaxially sometimes purple, irregularly pinnatilobed to pinnatisect, sometimes deeply incised so that segments are laciniate, segments 1-3 mm wide, apices obtuse, sometimes ending in one or two prominent hairs, adaxially and abaxially densely hirsute with appressed stiff hairs; petiole 20-60 mm long and 1-1.5 mm in diameter, erecto-patent, densely hirsute with appressed curly hairs and stiff hairs interspersed with short glandular hairs; stipules subulate, adnate to petioles with only apices free, 7-16 x 1-1.5 mm, ciliate. Inflorescence: scape very short, 10-15 mm long, pale green, branched, bearing 2-4 pseudo-umbellets with 2-4-7 flowers each; peduncles 20-100 mm long, densely covered with glandular hairs and appressed curly hairs and sparsely interspersed with long stiff hairs, pale green; bracts lanceolate, 2-3 x 1.5 mm, axially densely hirsute with distally appressed curly hairs; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel ±0.5 mm long. Hypanthium 9-15 mm long, 1.1-1.7 times the length of the sepals, green, densely covered with glandular hairs and short appressed curly hairs. Sepals 5, lanceolate, apices acute, 7-10 x 1-3 mm, posterior one erect, others patent, indumentum abaxially as on hypanthium, reddish green, margins white. Petals 5, white, adaxially and abaxially covered with soft hairs, claws forming a sheath and apices patent during anthesis; posterior two with wine-red feather-like markings or dark red blotches, ligulate, laterally slightly curved, 21-26 x 2.5-3 mm, length/width ratio 7.5-10, claws 9-10 mm long, apices rounded; anterior three with small dark red markings, ligulate, 20-26 x 2-3 mm, bases attenuate, apices rounded. Stamens 10, basally connate, staminal column 1-1.5 mm long, smooth, white; perfect stamens 5, posterior one 1.5-2 mm long, lateral two 4-5 mm long, anterior two 5-7 mm long, shorter than the sepals, lateral and anterior stamens curved upwards during anthesis, white; staminodes 1.5-2 mm long; anthers pink, 1.5-1.8 mm long, pollen orange. Gynoecium: ovary superior, oblong-conical, 5-lobed, 2.5-3.5 mm long, densely sericeous; style filiform, 0.5-1.5 mm long, pale green; stigma with 5 recurved branches, 0.8-1.5 mm long, adaxially red. Fruit: a schizocarp consisting of 5 mericarps, bases of mericarps 4-5 mm long, with glandular hairs, tails 23-24 mm long.