Haworthias

by Pam Schnebelen

Reprinted from the St. Louis—Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society Newsletter

I started growing Haworthias almost 20 years ago. At that time, I lived in a city apartment with no yard, few windows and no space for large plants. Haworthias did well in my limited environment. They are easy to grow.

Haworthias are small and compact, most fit comfortably in three to five inch pots. They grow as solitary or clumping rosettes that stay close to the soil level. They don't have to be outdoors in summer and they don't need a hard, cold, winter dormancy. Instead, most Haworthias are winter growers. They are tolerant of soil mixes and watering schedules. And, they bloom easily, putting up cute whitish flowers on long stems that tower above the body of the plant.

My first lessons in propagating from offsets and leaf cuttings came from working with Haworthias. On top of all these growing characteristics that make these plants ideal for both the beginning and advanced collector, Haworthias are absolutely gorgeous. They have fascinating shapes and symmetries, ranging from tight spirals of layered triangles to heaping mounds of tiny clear-skinned grapes. Colors vary from bight yellow to a deep red-brown, from pale lime green to deep blue green.

Leaf textures are interesting too. Some plants have bright white raised tubercles in stripes or patterns of dots on the tops and bottoms of leaves. Other leaves have rough surfaces that look as though they have been dusted with sugar crystals.

Then there are those "windows", perhaps the most interesting leaf feature of these plants. Many Haworthias have clear leaf tips and surfaces. These translucent windows allow sunlight to penetrate into the body of the leaf. In most plants, photosynthesis occurs only on the surface; in windowed plants, photosynthesis can occur throughout the body of the leaf.

When discussing odd plant features and Haworthias, we must also discuss roots. Haworthias have long, fleshy, "contractile" roots. In the cool wet seasons, these roots serve as a water store, much like the caudiciforms. In the dry hot summers, these roots serve two functions: they return moisture to the body of the plant and, while doing so, they shrink, pulling the plant deeper into the soil to protect the plant from sun and heat.