The Genus
Some History
The Sections
Campylia
Chorisma
Ciconium
Cortusina
Glaucophyllum
Hoarea
Isopetalum
Jenkinsonia
Ligularia
Myrrhidium
Otidia
Pelargonium
Peristera
Polyactium
Reniformia
Subsucculentia
Sectionless
Further Reading
Links & resources
PELARGONIUM NOTES
S. Afr. J. Bot. 57 (1991) 59
Section Hoarea
Habit
Deciduous geophyte, 300-500 mm tall when in flower. Tuber elogated, branched, sometimed with several stem-growing points.
Leaves
Green, petiolate, lamina ovate, 140-270 x 60-120 mm, irregularly bipinnate, densely hirsute with distally appressed hairs and with glandular hairs interspersed, segments linear, 4-8 mm wide, apices acute, margins serrate, petiole 80-200 m long, rigid, erect, hirsute with coarse hairs and interspersed with glandular hairs. Stipules subulate, 15-25 x 2 mm, adnate to petioles with apices free.
Inflorescence
Scape, bearing 4-8 pseudo-umbellets, each 15-26(-40)-flowered. Pedicel ca. 1 mm.
Credit: ©Erica Häderli, reproduced with permission of the author.
Sepals
5, posterior one triangular, the rest lanceolate, apices acuminate, 7-9 x 1.5-3 mm, posterior one erect, others recurved, pale green. Hypanthium 40-60 mm long, pale green, densely pilose with curly hairs interspersed with long glandular hairs.
Petals
5, pale yellow or cream-coloured, oblanceolate or ligulate, bases cuneate, apices rounded to emarginate, claws orientated close together forming a sheath, posterior two with V-shaped red markings, apices laterally recurved during anthesis, 16-19 x 3-4 mm, anterior three dimly marked pink at the base, apices patent during anthesis, 13-16 x 2-3 mm.
Stamens
5 fertile, posterior one ca. 2 mm long, lateral two 4 mm long and recurved so that anthers are borne on the same level as the posterior one, anterior two 9-11 mm long, protruding from the flower, anthers dark pink, pollen orange.
Distribution
Habitat
This is one of the more exuberant species in the section, not only in relation to size but also given the numerous flowers per inflorescence and the number of pseudo-umbels. These ripen in succession and thus prolong the flowering period, which is December to January. It grows in small colonies, is easily recognisable and not too rare on the Bokkeveld escarpment. Above is a photo of the Matsikamma mountain in soft, late afternoon light in mid-winter, where this species is quite frequent in mountain fynbos.
Section Hoarea
Habit
Deciduous geophyte, 300-500 mm tall when in flower. Tuber elogated, branched, sometimed with several stem-growing points.
Leaves
Green, petiolate, lamina ovate, 140-270 x 60-120 mm, irregularly bipinnate, densely hirsute with distally appressed hairs and with glandular hairs interspersed, segments linear, 4-8 mm wide, apices acute, margins serrate, petiole 80-200 m long, rigid, erect, hirsute with coarse hairs and interspersed with glandular hairs. Stipules subulate, 15-25 x 2 mm, adnate to petioles with apices free.
Inflorescence
Scape, bearing 4-8 pseudo-umbellets, each 15-26(-40)-flowered. Pedicel ca. 1 mm.
Credit: ©Erica Häderli, reproduced with permission of the author.
Sepals
5, posterior one triangular, the rest lanceolate, apices acuminate, 7-9 x 1.5-3 mm, posterior one erect, others recurved, pale green. Hypanthium 40-60 mm long, pale green, densely pilose with curly hairs interspersed with long glandular hairs.
Petals
5, pale yellow or cream-coloured, oblanceolate or ligulate, bases cuneate, apices rounded to emarginate, claws orientated close together forming a sheath, posterior two with V-shaped red markings, apices laterally recurved during anthesis, 16-19 x 3-4 mm, anterior three dimly marked pink at the base, apices patent during anthesis, 13-16 x 2-3 mm.
Stamens
5 fertile, posterior one ca. 2 mm long, lateral two 4 mm long and recurved so that anthers are borne on the same level as the posterior one, anterior two 9-11 mm long, protruding from the flower, anthers dark pink, pollen orange.
Distribution
Habitat
This is one of the more exuberant species in the section, not only in relation to size but also given the numerous flowers per inflorescence and the number of pseudo-umbels. These ripen in succession and thus prolong the flowering period, which is December to January. It grows in small colonies, is easily recognisable and not too rare on the Bokkeveld escarpment. Above is a photo of the Matsikamma mountain in soft, late afternoon light in mid-winter, where this species is quite frequent in mountain fynbos.
E. M. Marais (1991).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
ISSN 2464-014X.