Pelargonium peltatum is a scrambling purple
perennial plant with five shallow or deeply lobed, circular- to heart-shaped, somewhat fleshy leaves, sometimes with a differently coloured semicircular band, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It carries umbel-like inflorescences with 2–10, white to mauve, bilateral symmetrical flowers, each with a "spur" that is merged with the flower stalk. It is known by several common names including ivy-leaved pelargonium and cascading geranium. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. In its home range, it flowers year round but most vigorously from August to October.
Description
The ivy-leaved pelargonium is a perennial plant that scrambles over the surrounding vegetation and its somewhat succulent, slender and smooth, 3–10 mm (0.12–0.40 in) thick stems can grow to a length of about 2 m (7 ft).
The leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, but sometimes seem to be opposite. The leaves have broad oval to triangular stipules of about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide, a leaf stalk of ½–5½ cm (0.2–2.2 in) long, and a hairy or hairless, green to greyish green, sometimes with a differently colored semicircular band, more or less fleshy, circular to heart-shaped in outline, on average 3 cm (1.2 in) long and 5 cm (2.0 in) wide (full range 1–6¾ cm × 1¾–8¾ cm). The leaf blade has five shallow or deeper sharp or blunt tipped lobes that spread radially from a point with an entire margin.
The umbel-like inflorescences sit atop a stalk of about 6½ cm (2.6 in) long (full range 4–8½ cm) covered with long soft hairs to hairless. At the top of the inflorescence stalk are long, softly hairy, oval to lance-shaped bracts of about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, which subtend two to ten scentless flowers, each on a long softly hairy flower stalk of 1¾–5 mm (0.07–0.20 in) long. The long, softly hairy floral tube, which is somewhat difficult to distinguish from the...
