Citation: L'Hér. ex Aiton, Hort. Kew. 2:417 (1789).

Derivation: Greek pelargos, a stork; the awned mericarp resembling a stork's bill.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Pelargoniums.

Description:
Annual or perennial herbs or shrubs; leaves simple or almost compound, dentate or lobed, glabrous or variously pubescent and often aromatic;.

Flowers irregular, arranged in cymose umbels, the inflorescences themselves arranged in a spiral sequence; sepals connate towards the base and the posterior one prolonged downwards into a spur which is adnate to the pedicel; petals usually convolute, clawed, free, white to deep pink; posterior ones usually larger and often marked with darker spots and lines; stamens usually more or less connate towards the base, 3-8 bearing anthers.

Mericarps dehiscing on the ventral suture, without a pronounced tuft of funicular hairs; the awn curving upwards, villous inside.

Distribution:  About 250 species, mainly in Africa.

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: P. inodorum is reputed to have been collected in the lower Flinders Range. Since it is here well out of its range, confirmation is required.

Key to Species:

1. Leaves deeply pinnate- or palmate-dissected; hairs very harsh	P. xasperum 1.
1. Leaves lobed or almost unlobed but dentate; hairs soft or glandular
2. Lobes of the leaf acute	P. xdomesticum 3.
2. Lobes of the leaf obtuse or leaf almost unlobed
3. Fertile stamens 3-5 rarely 6	P. littorale 4.
3. Fertile stamens 6-8
4. Roots not tuberous; hairs on calyx mostly eglandular, long	P. australe 2.
4. Roots tuberous; hairs on calyx mostly glandular, short	P. rodneyanum 5.

Author: Not yet available