Scientific Name
Haworthia cooperi var. venusta (C.L.Scott) M.B.Bayer
Synonym(s)
Haworthia salina var. venusta, Haworthia venusta
Scientific Classification
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Tribe: Aloeae
Genus: Haworthia
Origin
This variety is native to South Africa. However, it is restricted to a small area amongst Namaga stone along the Witteberg outcrops, a few kilometers northeast of Alexandria in the Eastern Cape province.
Description
Haworthia cooperi var. venusta is a charming slow-growing succulent that forms rosettes of fleshy, olive-green leaves with short white hairs. It is the beauty among the varieties of Haworthia cooperi. The rosettes offset sparsely, if at all, and remain quite small. Leaves are erect and more or less incurved when young, later more ascending. They are keeled below towards the tip, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) long and 0.4 inches (1 cm) wide.
Flowers are white, up to 0.6 inches (1.5 cm) long, and appear on slender, up to 8 inches (20 cm) long stalks from fall to spring.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
These succulents are not considered difficult houseplants to grow. If you can keep a pot of Aloe alive on a windowsill, chances are you can do the same with a dish of Haworthia. As with all succulents, the most dangerous situation is too much water. They should never be allowed to sit in water under any circumstances. At the same time, these little decorative plants can be grown in interesting containers such as teacups and even miniature baby shoes. If you're given a Haworthia in such a container, ensure the container has adequate drainage.
Haworthias are small, usually between 3 and 5 inches (7.5 cm and 12.5 cm) in height, and relatively slow-growing. Therefore, they are often grown in small clusters in wide, shallow containers. Over time, clusters will naturally enlarge as the mother plant sends off small plantlets. When the cluster has outgrown its container, repot it into a new wide and shallow container with fresh potting soil in the spring or early summer. This is also the time to take offsets for propagation.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Haworthia.
Links
- Back to genus Haworthia
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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