| All species of the genus Haworthia are found in South Africa, most in the southern near-coastal areas. The genus has become increasingly popular in recent years and is esteemed by collectors for the wide variety of foliage among the species. The leaves can be hard, soft, long, short, stacked, grass-like, and in a full range of colors with windows, lines, flecks, bumps, bands, pearls, hairs, spines, and rasps. In short, they have it all. (Haworthia flowers, by contrast, are generally insignificant, nearly all of them being white or greenish-white.) Some species, such as the tough and ubiquitous H. attenuata, are popular windowsill plants. There are also many named hybrids and cultivars, especially variegated plants, which are highly sought after and can be quite expensive. It is often said that haworthias are easy to grow, but difficult to grow well. In general, they do best with a summer watering regimen. They are propagated by offsets, division, leaf cuttings, and by seed. Haworthia taxonomy, as indicated by the sheer number of sub-specific varieties, is a complicated and far from settled matter. |
