🌱 Morphology
  A collectible Japanese cultivar, prized for its compact rosettes and fleshy, thick, relatively rounded leaves. Its main appeal is its very dark green, grayish or almost black coloring, which can intensify with abundant light and other environmental factors. The leaves have translucent, smoky-looking windows crossed by fine longitudinal lines that contrast with the dark epidermis. Their tips are rounded or slightly pointed, and the arrangement of the leaves creates a highly attractive geometric rosette. Slow-growing, it may produce basal offsets and form small clumps over time. Color intensity varies depending on the clone and growing conditions.

🌍 Origin, habitat and family
‘Yamada Black’ is a Japanese horticultural cultivar, associated with dark-skinned obtusa and popularized by Kazuyoshi Yamada. Japanese records describe it as a selection obtained through variation in cultivation, with rounder leaves than those of other related dark selections. The cultivar’s origin should not be confused with that of the botanical species used in its commercial identification.

The species Haworthia ikra is associated with the Eastern Cape, South Africa, in the area around Mgwali and Stutterheim. It grows in rocky terrain and among low vegetation, where uneven ground and surrounding plants provide protection from direct sunlight. Its environment has variable rainfall, so growth depends on a combination of moderate temperatures and available moisture.

Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, genus Haworthia.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures close to −1 °C for short periods, provided the substrate is dry and the plant is protected from prolonged frost. To preserve its roots and coloring, it is best to avoid intense cold accompanied by moisture.

☀️ Lighting
It prefers abundant, filtered light or bright partial shade. A DLI PAR of 8–15 mol/m²/day is a suitable benchmark for keeping the rosette compact and encouraging dark tones. Its coloring may vary with light, but intense direct sun can cause burns and excessive stress. Acclimate it gradually to any increase in light.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Relative summer dormancy. During periods of intense heat, growth may slow and root activity may decrease. Water thoroughly when the substrate is dry, then let it dry out completely before watering again. In the warmer months, space out watering and ensure good ventilation. When temperatures are moderate and the plant is showing growth, a more regular watering schedule is suitable, as long as the substrate is not kept constantly wet.

🌸 Flowering
It produces a slender, elongated flower stalk with small tubular flowers that are white, marked with greenish or brownish lines. Flowering is subtle and usually occurs when the plant is actively growing.

🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, we recommend Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co., with its high potassium content and bioavailable calcium. Apply with watering, reducing or stopping fertilization during summer dormancy.

8x8 cm gourmet black pot

This is an exceptional xerophytic plant, grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may differ slightly from the product image. The plant’s measurements are specified in the photo description, but these may also vary slightly because it’s a living thing! Each plant at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.