Haworthia kingiana - Great Brak River

Although the plants grow amongs thick shrub, they are fairly easy to spot because of their relatively large size and bright light green color.




Haworthia kingiana can grow up to about 18 cm tall with thick and wide attenuate leaves. The photographs are from the type locality. Haworthia kingiana is localized in a rather small area that has diminished considerably in size due to urban development. Fortunately a very similar looking form has been discovered in the Glentana area.



Haworthia kingiana in habitat.


This Haworthia is easy to grow from seed in our climate in the Little Karoo, but apparently more difficult elsewhere.

Haworthia helmiae

Previously regarded as Haworthia outeniquensis (Bayer), Ingo Breuer regards these plants as the previously described Haworthia helmiae.





There is a notable difference between these plants and H outeniquensis from the Robertson Pass, which are found some 40 km to the east of this locality. H helmiae has broader leaves then H outeniquensis. One would assume that more localities of similar plants exist in the Outeniqua mountain range, and that this species probably does link with H outeniquensis and perhaps others.





The Outeniqua mountains are largely unexplored due to the fact that the main roads usually keep a considerable distance from the mountain.


Haworthia helmiae in habitat growing amongst pine needles. The pine forest is a plantation. It seems that the plants are perfectly happy with this human intervention.

Haworthia truncata variety minor South of Dysselsdorp

The plants are small and are usually well hidden under bushes or debris (old leaves, twigs etc). This makes them very difficult to find.

Haworthia truncata variety minor

Haworthia truncata variety minor is found along a stretch of about 2 km with non-hairy plants to the western side of its distribution, and hairy forms to the east. The non-hairy forms occur scattered over a large area. Some isolated plants or groups of plants in the western distribution are of "normal" size, making the distinction between the variety minor and the normal variety a bit blurry. The hairy forms are all small.


Haworthia truncata variety minor

This locality is only a few km to the south of the robust Dysselsdorp truncata, VDV120. This once again highlights major changes that can occur over a short distance. Haworthia tuberculata is found in very close proximity to the hairy forms. The hairy truncata is a rare, choice plant in collections. It does not seem to flower as prolifically as some other truncata, and seed production in nature tends to be rather skimpy.

Haworthia truncata - North of Dysslesdorp

Haworthia truncata variety truncata (VDV 120) are robust growers. The older plants sucker quite prolifically.


Haworthia truncata

Many plants have attractive irregular leaf edges, while others are smoother. There is great variation within the population.



Haworthia truncata




Haworthia truncata.
The top of this plant was damaged by grazing predators. Somewhat shrunken after the long summer heat, these plants often recover quickly after a good autumn rain.



Habitat.

Like most H truncata the plants prefer areas of brown ferri-crete stone (Afrikaans: ysterklip).

Haworthia tesselata North - East of Carnarvon

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Some of Gerhard Marx's finest cultivars will be on auction as from 10 June 2009 as well as the first Haworthia marxii

Haworthia tesselata occurs widespread in the arid Karoo regions. It is not a common plant however. The plants prefer to grow protected in the shade of bushes. It has some affinity with Haworthia venosa but is geographically well separated from the latter, although Mr Bruce Bayer refers to some linking forms.

When well protected, the plants can form large clumps.


Some of the plants have attractive white markings.


Habitat
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Haworthia variegata - Swartklip

Haworthia variegata.

The plants grow typically partly subterranean . Haworthia variegata from Swartklip is an attractive from with clear white spots and prominent teeth. The locality is not very well known and to my knowledge represents the most easterly distribution of the species.

Haworthia variegata.

Most of the plants have the typical rather soft leaved texture of Haworthia variegata. In some plants the leaves are of a harder texture - somewhat like Haworthia minima.

Haworthia variegata
habitat.

I am not placing this form under any of the presently accepted varieties for now.

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CITES Plants

Haworthia decipiens variety decipiens West of Prince Albert

Haworthia decipiens variety decipiens has a wide distribution from west of Prince Albert to around Steytlerville and Jansenville.





The plants from the Prince Albert area are mostly found on the southern slopes of hillsides, but also on minor elevations with a northern or other inclination. They prefer a stony habitat and are normally sheltered by bushes.


Certain plants from the Steytlerville area look very similar to the Prince Albert forms, although their habitat is seperated by a few hundred kilometers.


There are many different looking plants in between these extremes of habitat that have been included in Haworthia decipiens thus far by certain authors.It likely that these should belong elsewhere.


An old photograph of the Prince Albert entrance to the Swartberg Pass. Not far behind the photographer is a colony of Haworthia decipiens. On the nearby slopes of The Swartberg are Haworthia marumiana and further on some colonies of plants that have characteristics of both Haworthia maruminana and Haworthia arachnoidea.

Haworthia chloracantha variety denticulifera - Johnson's Post Gouritz River

In contrast with the smooth yellow-green variety chloracantha from Herbertsdale, the variety denticulifera has small teeth on the leaves and the plants are mostly dark green.





At this specific locality at the Gouritz river the plants co-exist with Haworthia acuminata, sometimes sharing the same bush.





They form large clumps and are usually protected under bushes. I have found some plants years ago that were growing in the open, appearing almost black in colour.


Haworthia chloracantha left of middle, and Haworthia acuminata, middle and right under the same bush. The flowers are from Haworthia acuminata.






Voelvlei (Bird lake), near the Gouritz River, is a shallow lake that catches rainwater from the nearby embankments. The area is rich in succulents, e.g. Gasteria carinata, Aloe ferox, Aloe speciosa , Aloe arborescens and numerous hybrids , Euphorbia aff fimbriata and Adromischus are found there abundantly. Less abundantly a Huernia species and other relatives of Stapelia. Haworthia acuminata and Haworthia chloracantha appear only in a few isolated areas. Somewhere near the mountains on the far horizon is the only known locality of Haworthia esterhuizenii.

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Haworthia acuminata - Johnson's Post

This locality is only a few km to the north of the type locality of Haworthia acuminata near the Gouritz River. The plants are very similar to the plants at the type locality, the only notable difference is the colour of the leaves and the tendency for some plants to be semi-retuse. The plants from the type locality are a brownish green whereas the plants from Johnson's Post are light green.

The habitat is in two parts: A small population in dense brush on a little outcropping, and a fairly large population on a relatively bare slope of a hill next to the outcropping. The plants at both areas are similar, but the habitat of the low outcropping is similar to the habitat of the type locality where the plants are hidden under the bushes and grow in pebbly soil.


The low outcropping.


Plants protected under shrub on the outcropping.



The bare hill slope.

As one ascends the bare hill, large clumps of Haworthia acuminata are exposed to the full sun in clay soil, very similar to Haworthia turgida in habitat. Some of the exposed plants are less retuse then others.





Large clumps on the bare slope.





It was my second visit to this locality, the first time being probably 12 years ago or more. A white/silver speckled form which grows only a few hills to the north I could not find this time. I do have some plants in cultivation and will place some photographs of this rather attractive form later.



The plants are light green in colour. In cultivation the reddish brown colour disappears.


Some plants are semi-retuse.

All images are the property of Izimakana Industries. Your source of Hoodia gordonii, Haworthia and Succulent Plants.

All images are the property of Izimakana Industries. Your source of Hoodia gordonii, Haworthia and Succulent Plants.

Haworthia esterhuizenii - East of Albertinia

Haworthia esterhuizenii was discovered by Mary Parisi and initially regarded as a form of Haworthia magnifica variety splendens (Bayer), and later as a form of Haworthia pygmeae.

Although the flowering time of Haworthia esterhuizenii corresponds in nature with that of Haworthia pygmeae and its allies, Haworthia pygmeae, lacks the translucent dots on the lower surface of the leaves.


The translucent dots also occur in a number of other species, e.g. Haworthia vincentii (which incidently grows only a few km from Haworthia esterhuizenii ), Haworthia paradoxa and Haworthia wimii.






Haworthia esterhuizenii is an attractive plant. Gerhard Marx in private communication has mentioned that the plants flower up to three times per year in cultivation.


Habitat

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Haworthia maraisii - Strykhoogte Pass McGregor

Haworthia maraissii from the Strykhoogte Pass are very small plants. They are hardly 2 cm in diameter and very difficult to find. In contrast to the species at Rooivlei Bonnievale, that seem to have some affinity with Haworthia atrofusca , the plants from Strykhoogte Pass lack the dark colour and have bristles on the leaves similar to Haworthia wimii and some others.









Habitat

Haworthia maraisii - Rooivlei north of Bredasdorp

Dark coloured attractive plants. Some plants have leaves more lanceolate then others, giving them some resemblance to Haworthia atrofusca.


All photographs by Gerhard Marx.
















Habitat



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