''Pelargonium vitifolium'' is a species of

geranium ''Geranium'' is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly i ...

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 count ...

, 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 ...

. This is a mostly erect, branching shrub 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 ...

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'' " ...

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