Pelargonium longicaule curved, hairy awn

Fruiting in Pelargonium longicaule is a dramatic affair. Pelargonium seeds are part of a specialized fruit type called a schizocarp, a long, beak-like structure of individual fruits splitting from the style as five mericarp units, each containing a seed body.

The seed is situated at the opposite end of the silky hairs adorning the curving (and later) twisting awn, a tail-like attachment. The twisted tail or awn is hygroscopic, meaning that it coils and uncoils with changes in humidity, allowing for drilling the seed into the soil, the best place for ensuring its germination (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org).