New plant species uncovered near Alexander Bay

A new pelargonium species has been discovered in the Richtersveld by South African National Parks’ (SANParks) Pieter van Wyk, curator of the Ai-|Ais/ Richtersveld Transfrontier Park desert botanical garden nursery. “Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums or storksbills,” said SANParks’ Genevieve Maasdorp.

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While geranium species are mostly temperate herbaceous plants, dying down in winter, pelargoniums are evergreen perennials, indigenous to warm temperate and tropical regions, with many species in southern Africa. Maasdorp said they were drought and heat tolerant but could tolerate only minor frosts. Some species are popular garden plants, grown as house plants and bedding plants. They have a long flowering period, with flowers mostly in red, orange or white, but intensive breeding has produced a huge array of cultivars. Van Wyk said the flowers of the new pelargonium were “giant, the largest in the genus I have seen in the Richtersveld region”.

The new species grows in deep red dune sand, about 30km south of Alexander Bay. Van Wyk has collected cuttings for ex-situ conservation purposes to grow at the nursery.

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