🌱 Morphology
   Compact rosette cultivar with firm, fleshy, recurved leaves, whose flattened tips form wide, translucent windows. In ‘Milky Way’, the ornamental appeal lies in the light, speckled appearance of these surfaces, reminiscent of a band of stars against a green background. The intensity of the markings and the transparency can vary depending on the specimen. Like other forms of H. retusa, it can produce offsets and form small clusters over time.

🌍 Origin, habitat, and family
Horticultural cultivar of Haworthia retusa, with no documented wild location of its own. The species is native to the Western Cape province, South Africa, with a distribution range extending roughly from Bredasdorp and Swellendam to Mossel Bay; typical populations are especially associated with the surroundings of Riversdale. It inhabits fynbos and coastal renosterveld, on stony soils derived from shales, among small rocks and low shrubs. The vegetation and terrain irregularities offer protection from intense sun. The region features variable rainfall, with the influence of winter precipitation throughout much of its range.

Family Asphodelaceae, tribe Alooideae, genus Haworthia.

❄️ Temperature — USDA 10a
It is recommended to protect it from frost and keep it above 0 °C, especially when the substrate is damp.

☀️ Lighting
It prefers abundant filtered light or bright semi-shade. Gradual exposure helps maintain a compact rosette and highlights the leaf windows; the intense summer sun in Madrid can cause burns. Indicative DLI PAR: 8–15 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. It can grow when moderate temperatures, adequate light, and water availability coincide, without depending on a single season. Water thoroughly and let the substrate dry out before repeating. Reduce watering during extreme heat if the plant slows its activity, and avoid persistent moisture around the roots.

🌸 Flowering
It produces elongated flower stalks with small, whitish flowers streaked with greenish or brownish lines. Flowering is discreet compared to the ornamental interest of its leaves.

🌿 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 gourmet black pot

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.