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Pelargonium grandiflorum; photograph (c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) CC BY-SA(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · observed growing wild · 2025-09-28

Pelargonium grandiflorum Willd.

Large-flower pelargonium; English storksbill; Large-flowered pelargonium; Largeflower storksbill

Geraniaceae · Cape Provinces

Cited as Kew's World Checklist cites it, Pelargonium grandiflorum Willd.: GBIF's backbone key for this page carries the name with another author, (Andrews) Willd.

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Sow seed
Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) migsgreenworld, some rights reserved (CC BY)Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) migsgreenworld, some rights reserved (CC BY)Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) migsgreenworld, some rights reserved (CC BY)Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) migsgreenworld, some rights reserved (CC BY)Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) Ian Webb, some rights reserved (CC BY)Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph (c) Ian Webb, some rights reserved (CC BY) 46 photographs ›
Habitat figures
Cold floor (1 night in 100)
0.8°C
Record low -1.8 °C in 44 years, at a typical spot in the range NASA POWER
Warmest month, mean daily high
30°C
Feb at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
860mm
11 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
18–55DLI
Lowest to highest month (DLI) CHELSA
The year in your months, northern hemisphere
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Wet winters: the rain comes November to March (May to September at the habitat), read as a winter growing season. rain rule, CHELSA
Northern hemisphere unless you set your site. The chart is in the habitat's months.

Summary

Pelargonium grandiflorum is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to the southwestern Cape Provinces of South Africa. It may be a parent of the cultivated Pelargonium × domesticum (regal pelargonium) with Pelargonium cucullatum.

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Pelargonium grandiflorum", CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the genus · Pelargonium

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. It includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs. Taxonomist Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species of Pelargonium and Geranium under the latter name. More on Wikipedia ›

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Pelargonium", CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cultivation

Seasons

The rain rule reads a winter growing season: 70% of the median year's rain (608 mm of 866 mm) falls in May to September, cooler than the year (wet-season mean 11.5 °C against a yearly mean of 16.0 °C). Months are the habitat's, southern hemisphere; shifted six months for a northern-hemisphere collection: November to March.

Rain

866 mm in the median year at the habitat, 608 mm of it May to September. Wettest month July at 158 mm, driest month January at 22 mm. Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 514 mm to 1,181 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 860 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 866 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, southern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 18 to 55 mol/m²/day across the year (daily light integral, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA; the lowest 10th-percentile month across the cells is 16, the highest 90th-percentile month 56).

Warmth and air
Temperature

Coldest: the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range is 0.8 °C, the absolute minimum -1.8 °C, 60 frost nights in 44 years, 1.4 a year (NASA POWER daily minima). Warmest: the 99th-percentile day is 38.6 °C. Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 4.7 °C in July (across the grid cells of the range 2.5 °C to 6.2 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 29.7 °C in February (median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). Cold floor: 0.8 °C, which is the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range (NASA POWER).

Humidity

Relative humidity at the habitat: 51 to 56% across the year (monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). A figure about the air, saying nothing about how the plant takes water.

How this section is made

Each card states this species' habitat figures with their sources, and what two fixed rules read from them; nothing here says what the plant does, wants or tolerates. The rules · the terms.

Seasons. Read from the median year of CHELSA monthly rainfall and mean temperature across the grid cells of the range: the rain rule takes the smallest set of months carrying 70% of the rain and calls it winter when its mean is more than half a degree below the year's, summer when more than that above, and neither in between; the temperature rule, used only under 120 mm, names the cooler six months when they are at least a degree cooler than the other six. Months are shifted for the other hemisphere only where the temperature curve moves 4 °C or more and the habitat lies 10° or more from the equator. A reading of the curves, not an observation of the plant.

Rain. CHELSA monthly precipitation, median year across the grid cells of the range. The rain that falls where the species is recorded; nothing about how the plant takes water.

Light. CHELSA shortwave radiation at each envelope cell, a daily-mean flux taken to a daily total and converted at 2.07 mol of PAR per MJ. The sky over the habitat, measured; what reaches a plant under a rock, a shrub or a shade cloth is not.

Temperature. NASA POWER daily minima and maxima over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, lapse-corrected -286 m to its elevation; CHELSA monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range. The cold floor is the 1st-percentile night named in its sentence. Not a measured survival limit for any plant in a pot.

Humidity. CHELSA relative humidity, median year across the grid cells of the range.

Climate across the habitat

Habitat months, southern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Pelargonium grandiflorum through the yearWarmest month February, mean daily high 30 °C; coldest month July, mean nightly low 4.7 °C; 866 mm of rain in the median year (the twelve monthly medians added). Medians across the range, from CHELSA; the extremes at the edge from NASA POWER. Habitat months, southern hemisphere.-10°0°10°20°30°40°frost38.6° 99th-percentile day, NASA POWER-1.8° lowest night in 44 years, NASA POWER°C · day and nightcold quarter050100150200250mm rainDLI 18–55RH 51–56%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 33 habitat cells, CHELSA cold quarter: the three months around the coldest month's mean nightly low extremes over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, from NASA POWER, marked at the edge, in no month DLI, mol/m²/dayRH %each on its own scale
Figures by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day °C29 / 26–3130 / 26–3128 / 24–2924 / 20–2619 / 16–2116 / 14–1815 / 13–1816 / 14–1918 / 15–2122 / 19–2525 / 21–2727 / 24–29
Night °C15 / 13–1615 / 13–1714 / 12–1611 / 9–139 / 6–106 / 3–75 / 3–65 / 3–77 / 5–89 / 7–1111 / 9–1313 / 11–15
Rain mm22 / 9–3125 / 12–3536 / 21–4864 / 41–89113 / 67–153143 / 83–192158 / 92–210113 / 59–15881 / 50–11445 / 29–6336 / 18–5030 / 21–40
DLI55 / 54–5650 / 47–5141 / 38–4230 / 27–3122 / 20–2318 / 16–1919 / 17–2125 / 23–2633 / 31–3543 / 41–4451 / 49–5255 / 53–55
RH %51 / 50–5351 / 49–5351 / 49–5352 / 50–5454 / 52–5755 / 52–5855 / 52–5856 / 53–5956 / 53–5953 / 51–5552 / 51–5452 / 51–54
How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 33 grid cells holding the 58 in-range records, with the 10th–90th percentile span across those cells after the slash where it differs. A dash is a month one or more of those cells has no figure for in the grid (a variable CHELSA does not carry there), so no median is taken rather than one over fewer cells. Extremes and elevation were read at a typical spot in the range, cell 2458:3982 (-32.925, 19.125). Over 44 years there: absolute minimum -1.8 °C, 1st-percentile night 0.8 °C, 99th-percentile day 38.6 °C. Normals: CHELSA V2.1 1981–2010 climatology, 0.05° cells (each the mean of ~36 1 km pixels). Across the range: median and 10th–90th percentile of each month across the 33 distinct grid cells holding 58 of the 58 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 2458:3982 (its coldest month's mean nightly low nearest the median across cells); its position is the cell centre. Extremes: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -33.00_19.375, lapse-corrected -286 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 618 m (cell mean).

Natural habitat

Native range as published by WCVP; the marker is where the records are densest and decides nothing: the climate was read across the cells of the in-range records placed well enough to read one, not at the marker.
Openly licensed records inside the range, framed on where they fall.
NativeCape Provinces · regions are the level-3 units of the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, as Kew's World Checklist records ranges, some under historical names such as Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia (how).
Map marker-33.021, 19.071 · in the densest population, 70 records (96% of those in range)
Kew's description“subshrub or shrub” · “subtropical” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 73 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 58 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 21 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 10 km away. 14 records outside the WCVP native range not used. 15 in-range records are placed to worse than 10 km, or with no stated accuracy (admitted only as a person's observation to three decimals), and stay on the map but off the climate.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population of the 73 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Pelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 1did not loadPelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 2did not loadPelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 3did not loadPelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 4did not loadPelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 5did not loadPelargonium grandiflorum, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: (c) migsgreenworld, some rights reserved (CC BY) (4); (c) Ian Webb, some rights reserved (CC BY) (2).

Similar habitat climate The 6 nearest by mean daily high, mean nightly low and rain, month by month. How.

Babiana noctiflora Babiana noctiflora Night Bobbejaantjie Photo: CC BY-SA, James DeaconHeeria argentea Heeria argentea Anacardiaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Tony RebeloMoraea villosa Moraea villosa Peacock Flappie Photo: CC BY-SA, Tony RebeloLeucadendron chamelaea Leucadendron chamelaea Witsenberg Conebush Photo: CC BY-SA, Tony RebeloLeucospermum vestitum Leucospermum vestitum Silky-hair Pincushion Photo: CC BY-SA, Tony Rebelo Lachenalia thunbergii Castle Viooltjie

Other Pelargonium 123 in the reference

Pelargonium abrotanifolium Pelargonium abrotanifolium Southernwood geranium Photo: CC BY-SA, Dave UPelargonium acetosum Pelargonium acetosum Sorrel-leaf pelargonium Photo: CC BY, Bruno - Yolande ZanettePelargonium acraeum Pelargonium acraeum Horseshoe pelargonium Photo: CC0, author not statedPelargonium album Pelargonium album Pilgrim's Rest pelargonium Photo: CC BY, katuchkaPelargonium alchemilloides Pelargonium alchemilloides Lady's mantle-leaved pelargonium Photo: CC BY-SA, Nicola van BerkelPelargonium alternans Pelargonium alternans Cauliflower Storksbill Photo: CC BY, Darren ObbardPelargonium althaeoides Pelargonium althaeoides Fire Pelargonium Photo: CC BY, Danie PalmPelargonium antidysentericum Pelargonium antidysentericum Geraniaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedPelargonium appendiculatum Pelargonium appendiculatum Geraniaceae Photo: CC BY, Jeremy GilmorePelargonium aridum Pelargonium aridum Geraniaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Tony RebeloPelargonium auritum Pelargonium auritum Various-Leaved Storksbills Photo: CC BY, Vicente LopesPelargonium australe Pelargonium australe Geraniaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, James K. Douch all 124 ›

Names & registers

Also known as Eumorpha grandiflora; Geraniospermum grandiflorum; Geranium glabrum; Geranium grandiflorum. (GBIF Backbone)

GBIFPOWOIPNIWFOWikidataWikipediaiNaturalist

The record

Family
Geraniaceae
Described by
Willd.
Native to
Cape Provinces
Wild records
73 in range · 21 open

Every figure here is derived from public data by a stated rule and names its source; nothing about this species is written for its page by a person or by AI, apart from the marked, credited quotations. How →

Where this page came from built 2026-10-22
GBIF species record gbif.species answeredasked 2026-10-22GBIF's key 3827422 is Pelargonium grandiflorum (Andrews) Willd.; the page links Kew's Pelargonium grandiflorum Willd., and the name is cited as Kew cites it
GBIF synonyms gbif.synonyms answeredasked 2026-10-22
GBIF common names gbif.vernacular answeredasked 2026-10-22names fetched 2026-10-22
WCVP native range wcvp.distribution answeredas of 2026-06-04
GBIF occurrence records gbif.occurrences answeredas of 2026-10-21GBIF occurrence download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.hbdw64, of 2026-10-21
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -33.00_19.375, lapse-corrected -286 m at 6.5 °C/km
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22
Wikipedia wikipedia answeredasked 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, wild inat.photos.wild answeredasked 2026-10-22from iNaturalist's open data of 2026-09-27: research-grade observations with an open-licence photograph, the 24 whose photographs iNaturalist received last (the open data holds no votes); filled 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, cultivated inat.photos.cultivated not asked
GBIF media gbif.media answeredasked 2026-10-22
OpenAlex papers openalex not askednot yet asked for this reference; a later fill takes the papers from OpenAlex's snapshot

Every source is recorded as having answered, reported nothing, refused, failed, not been asked, or answered twice where one answer is taken (“not taken: two items answered”), and, for a source asked when this page was built, when: the figures are as the source held them that day; a source read from a file (Kew's World Checklist, a GBIF download) says "as of" the file's day instead; a row carried from an earlier build of the page names that build instead. Only “nothing to report” is ever shown as an absence. Records came from 13 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

Cultifolio

Opening your plants…