Pelargonium pulchellum Sims

Species

Angiosperms > Geraniales > Geraniaceae > Pelargonium l'hér.

Characteristics

Plant a sparsely-branched perennial herb with a fleshy semi-procumbent stem about 10 mm thick. Leaves alternate, arranged in a compact rosette; petiole hairy, 1.5-11(3.4) cm long, 3-4 mm thick with 2 basal stipules, these 1-5(1.8) cm long and 0.3-1.2(0.6) cm wide, lanceolate, acute, entire to sometimes strongly dentate, sparsely hairy, decurrent along stem, nervature indistinct; lamina ovate, deeply lobed, apices of lobes acute, hairy, nerves prominent abaxially but immersed adaxially, 3.5-15(7) cm long and 1.6-9(3.5) cm wide. Inflorescence a simple umbel with up to 14 flowers, basally subtended by as many bracts as flowers; bracts longitudinally split in 2 lanceolate halves up to 12 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, hairy; peduncle axillary, branched, hairy, stipules and bracts as in vegetative parts but smaller, peduncle 4 mm in diameter at the base and up to 2 mm at the apex. Flowers zygomorphic, up to 14, pedicels with articulation-like swelling near base, hairy, up to 5 cm long and 1.5 mm thick. Sepals 5, the lower 4 fused, the upper free with a nectary on the inside, hairy. Petals 5, free, the upper 2 tapering towards the base, 19 mm long and 5 mm wide, white or with pale pink blotch near base; lower 3 spatulate, 10-11 mm long and 4 mm wide, white with bright red marking in middle which is some-times connected to the base by thin lines. Androecium 10, basal 2 mm fused into staminal column; staminodia 3, filiform, 3.5 mm long; fertile stamens 7, unequal, wedge-shaped, upper stamen nearly conical as result of broad base, lengths vary from 3 to 7 mm, white; anthers 1.8 mm long, bright pink. Ovary superior, 5-locular, ovate to oval, 5 mm long and 1.5-2 mm in diameter, bright green with erect white hair; style filiform, glabrous, 4-5 mm long, bright pink; stigma pentamerous, bright red; fruit not seen.
More
Small subshrub, up to 500 mm tall, stem contracted, succulent to ± woody with age, covered with persistent large stipules fused to petiole. Leaves with oblong-ovate, pinnate blade, 30-150 mm long, coarsely hairy. Flowers in few terminal clusters on a branched peduncle, 15-64 cm each, ± 30 mm diam., pedicel 2-9 mm long, petals 5, white, lower 3 with red markings, hypanthium 25-50 mm long.
A herb.
Life form
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.26
Root system -
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Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a warm temperate plant.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The roots are eaten cooked as a vegetable.
Uses -
Edible roots tubers
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
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Images

Pelargonium pulchellum unspecified picture

Distribution

Pelargonium pulchellum world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:376814-1
WFO ID wfo-0001064347
COL ID 6TZM7
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Pelargonium pictum Pelargonium rubromaculatum Pelargonium curtisii Pelargonium curtisianum Geraniospermum pulchellum Geranium pulchellum Hoarea pulchella Pelargonium pulchellum Geranium pictum