Pelargonium tripalmatum E.M.Marais

A deciduous geophyte with a regularly shaped subterranean tuber, 90-160 mm tall when in flower. Tuber a turnip-shaped root, sometimes with more than one stem growing point, covered with flaking dark brown periderms, 30-50 mm long and 20-60 mm in diameter. Leaves radical, hysteranthous, rosulate, petiolate; lamina tripalmate with three main pinnae, petiolule 70-150 mm long, 3-5 pinnulae of the first order, 15-20 x 15-20 mm, 3-5 pinnulae of the second order, palmatifid, apices of segments acute, adaxially and abaxially hirsute with appressed stiff hairs; petiole 140-170(-280) mm long and 1-2 mm in diameter, reddish brown, rigid, spreading horizontally from the growing point but bending in an upright position again, hirsute with appressed stiff hairs interspersed with very short glandular hairs; stipules subulate, adnate to petioles for two-thirds of their length, 25-30 mm x 1-2 mm, adaxially hirsute. Inflorescence: scape 20-60 mm long, reddish brown, densely hirsute with appressed hairs interspersed with short glandular hairs, branched, bearing 2-5 pseudo-umbellets with 4-13(-17) flowers each; peduncles 25-60 mm long, covered with short glandular hairs sparsely interspersed with distally appressed hairs, proximally reddish brown, distally pink to pale green; bracts lanceolate, 1-3 mm long, abaxially densely hirsute with distally appressed hairs, apices dark red; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel ±0.5 mm long. Hypanthium 10-17 mm long, 2-3 times the length of the sepals, pale green, sparsely glandular. Sepals 5, lanceolate, apices acute, 5-7 mm x 1-2 mm, patent, abaxially covered with glandular hairs and appressed stiff hairs, pale green with dark red apices and white margins. Petals 5, pale yellow, patent during anthesis; posterior two with minute wine-red feather-like markings, spathulate, claws 4-6.5 mm long, apices truncate or emarginate, 13-16 x 3.5-5.5 mm, length/width ratio smaller than 4; anterior three spathulate, bases attenuate, apices rounded, 11-14 x 2.2-4 mm. Stamens 10, basally connate, staminal column 1-4 mm long, smooth, white; perfect stamens 5, posterior one 5-7 mm long, lateral two 6-8.5 mm long, anterior two 7.5-10 mm long, protruding from the flower, white; staminodes 2-5 mm long; anthers pale pink, 1.5-2 mm long, pollen yellow. Gynoecium: ovary superior, oblong-conical, 5-lobed, 2.5-6.6 mm long, densely sericeous; style filiform, 1-2.5 mm long, pale green; stigma with 5 recurved branches, 1.2-2.5 mm long, adaxially pale pink. Fruit: a schizocarp consisting of 5 mericarps, bases of mericarps 4.5 mm long, with glandular hairs, tails ±24 mm long. P. tripalmatum flowers in November after the leaves have died.