''Pelargonium vitifolium'' is a species of
geranium known by the common name grapeleaf geranium. It is native to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, and it is a commonly grown
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
. This is a mostly erect, branching
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
approaching one meter in maximum height. The stems are soft and coated in soft hairs when young and become more woody with age. The glandular, stiffly-hairy aromatic leaves are about 6 centimeters long and 8 wide, divided into 5 or 7 toothed, heart-shaped lobes. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a dense
umbel
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
of several flowers with five petals each around a centimeter long. The flowers are pink with purplish markings.
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
vitifolium
Garden plants
Flora of South Africa
{{Geraniaceae-stub