🌱 Morphology

A slow-growing Haworthia of extraordinary ornamental value, prized for the transparency and geometric pattern of its leaves. It forms a compact rosette, almost flush with the ground, with fleshy, short, and wide leaves, with truncated or gently rounded tips. The terminal surfaces, known among enthusiasts as windows, allow light to penetrate into the internal tissues. A delicate network of clear lines is drawn on them, resembling lace or an engraving on glass. The coloration varies between translucent green and dark green, with differences in contrast and small marks depending on the clone and growing conditions. It can reach about 10–12 cm in diameter in adult specimens. It grows slowly and can produce basal offsets, although not all plants do so with the same ease.

🌍 Origin, habitat and family

Native to Georgida, in the Willowmore district, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, in the eastern Little Karoo region. It is known from a very restricted locality, where it grows in small accumulations of quartz, often partially hidden under stones. This environment protects the rosette from intense solar radiation and reduces water loss. It shares habitat with Haworthia bayeri.

The region experiences relatively scarce rainfall and a variable climate regime, with precipitation in both the warm and cold months. It is not advisable to attribute a rigid rainfall calendar to this population: topography and local conditions influence water availability. The alternation between wet periods and intense heat helps explain its opportunistic growth and marked tendency toward summer dormancy in cultivation. During the unfavorable season, it can lose a good portion of its old roots and renew the root system when favorable conditions return.

Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, genus Haworthia.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 10

Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to approximately −1 °C for short periods, provided the substrate is dry and the roots remain healthy. It is not recommended to expose it to prolonged frosts or combine low temperatures with persistent moisture.

☀️ Lighting

Abundant, filtered light. Partial shade. Adequate lighting promotes compact growth and allows the pattern of the leaf windows to be appreciated without causing excessive dehydration. A DLI PAR of 8–15 mol/m²/day is recommended, adjusted to the acclimatization and response of each specimen. Intense direct sun, especially during the summer, can cause reddening, shrinkage, and loss of turgidity. A bright location with protection during the middle hours usually offers good results.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Summer dormancy. During periods of extreme heat, it is recommended to considerably reduce watering and prevent the roots from remaining wet for long periods. This species can lose roots during the unfavorable season and grow new roots when growth conditions recover. Therefore, it should not be kept continuously moist nor watered on a calendar basis. During favorable temperate periods, it is watered thoroughly and the substrate is allowed to dry out completely before watering again.

🌸 Flowering

It produces an elongated and slender inflorescence that rises above the rosette, with small whitish flowers of tubular structure and greenish or brownish lines. Flowering usually occurs during the temperate months, but its calendar can vary with the climate and growing conditions. Its main ornamental appeal lies in the foliage, not in the flowers.

🌿 Nutrition

During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthias & Co. is recommended, with a high content of potassium and bioavailable calcium. It is applied with watering, reducing or suspending fertilization during summer dormancy.

9x9 cm pot

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with a substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

* Since this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The description in the photo specifies the measurements of the plant, but this can also vary slightly, because it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.