Pelargonium incrassatum aka Namaqualand Beauty

Pelargonium incrassatum is a small perennial in the geranium family. It grows from a tuber below the soil. Kew places its native range in South Africa's western Cape. Plants For A Future also lists southern coastal Namibia. Its habitat includes dry shrubland and desert areas. It grows on stony or gravel-covered plains in the northwestern Cape.

The plant reaches about 1 foot [0.3 metres] in height. It has an upright form suited to beds and borders. Chicago Botanic Garden lists pink, red, and purple flowers. Its record gives a flowering season from July to October. Plants For A Future describes the plant as evergreen. Yet its care notes also describe leaves dying before dormancy. The flowers have both male and female organs.

Give this species full sun and soil that drains well. Plants For A Future recommends a light, sandy growing mix. Its cultivation notes favour neutral to alkaline soil. The same source also lists tolerance of mildly acid soil. Moisture starts growth, but the plant needs a dry rest. Once the leaves start dying, keep it dry for several months. This change in care matters more than a fixed watering routine. Its dry native habitat does not mean growth needs no moisture.

This species is frost tender and needs shelter in Britain. Plants For A Future gives a lower limit near 32°F [0°C]. A greenhouse offers protection where winters are too cold. Outdoor growing may work in the mildest, most sheltered sites. A warm spot near a south-facing or west-facing wall is suggested. Pots can stand outside in summer and move under cover for winter. Grow young seedlings under glass through at least their first winter.

Fresh ripe seed can be sown in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed there in early spring. Germination may take two weeks, though some seeds take months. Cuttings can root during growth, with early summer the preferred time. Plants For A Future reports no known food uses. It records astringent properties throughout the plant and an essential oil use. These records do not establish safe home medicinal use. The source lists no known hazards, rather than proof of safety. It also records no weed potential.