Haworthia fasciata

Haworthia fasciata
Haworthia fasciata in habitat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asphodelaceae
Subfamily:	Asphodeloideae
Genus:	Haworthia
Species:	H. fasciata
Binomial name
Haworthia fasciata (Willd.) Haw.

Haworthia fasciata is a species of succulent plant from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Rare in cultivation; most plants that are labelled as Haworthia fasciata are actually Haworthia attenuata.^[1]

Description

Small specimen in cultivation showing the distinctively smooth inner surface of the leaves

Comparison of the upper leaf-faces of H.fasciata (left) and H.attenuata (right).

The plants are generally small, less than 10 cm (4 in) high. The triangular shaped leaves are green with narrow white crested strips on the outside. At the end of the leaf is a non acute spine. The summer flowers appear in October and November, on the end of an inflorescence.

The species has similar markings to Haworthia attenuata, which is commonly grown as a house plant. The two are therefore frequently confused with each other, and a great many H.attenuata specimens are mislabelled as the rarer H.fasciata.

However Haworthia fasciata is rare in cultivation, and can easily be distinguished by the smooth upper (ie. inner) surfaces of its leaves. Its white tubercles occur only on the lower (outer) sides of its leaves; whereas H.attenuata has roughness or tubercles on both sides of its leaves. The leaves of H.fasciata are also often stouter and more deltoid. They tend to curve inwards more. Unlike H.attenuata, older H.fasciata specimens also sometimes develop long columnal stems. The most fundamental distinction, though not externally obvious, is that Haworthia fasciata has fibrous leaves - unlike H.attenuata, but similar to H.glauca, H.coarctata, H.reinwardtii and H.longiana.^{[2] [3][1][4][5]}

Distribution

This species favours the acidic sands of the fynbos vegetation type, in the area near Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Varieties

• H. fasciata var. fasciata : the type variety
• H. fasciata f. browniana : a form with a dark red color
• H. fasciata f. patensie : a form with short, keeled, light green & red leaves

• 
  The typical form
• 
  The dark red form browniana
• 
  The compact, keeled form patensie

References

1. "Our House Plants.com - Haworthia (Zebra Cactus)".
2. Haworthia updates - fasciata
3. Haworthia fasciata - Information page at Haworthia-Gasteria
4. "Haworthia.info - Haworthia cultivation".
5. http://haworthiaupdates.org/haworthias-small-relatives-of-aloe-1974/