Haworthia maxima
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| Haworthia maxima in habitat near Worcester, South Africa. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Haworthia |
| Species: | H. maxima |
| Binomial name | |
| Haworthia maxima | |
Haworthia maxima ("Vratjiesaalwee") is a species of Haworthia succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa.
Description
It is an evergreen, winter-growing succulent plant with sharp succulent leaves arranged in rosettes of 20 cm in diameter. The leaves are hard, upright, sometimes incurved and are usually covered with raised white tubercles. It is a variable species, with different populations differing in the leaf shape, colour, growth form and tubercles. It also varies according to environment, and in direct sun during the dry summer, it can assume a red colour. The leaves usually have an olive-green to brown colour.
In the summer (November to December) H.maxima produces pink-white tubular flowers, on a tall thin inflorescence.[1]
Naming and taxonomy
It was previously named Haworthia pumila by some authorities, however it has officially been reinstated in its original (and oldest) name, Haworthia maxima. In some old records it is also occasionally listed as Haworthia margaritifera.[2]
It is the largest of the Haworthia species (reaching up to 30 cm in height), and is classed with the other large species (H.marginata, H.minima & H.kingiana) in the "Robustipedunculares" subgenus. Following recent phylogenetic studies, it has been shown that these four species in fact constitute a distinct out-group, separate from other Haworthias. It has therefore been proposed to class them as a separate genus, "Tulista".[3]
Distribution
The natural distribution of this species is in the far south-western part of the Cape, centred on the Robertson Karoo vegetation of the Breede River Valley. It also extends north-east as far as Laingsburg. Here is occurs in Karoo scrub.
Cultivation
It is a popular plant in cultivation, though it can be slow-growing. It is not known how long the plants live for, but some specimens have been kept in captivity for over 40 years. The plant requires well-drained soil, and it is one of the few Haworthia species that thrives in full sun.
The plant rarely offsets, so most propagation is by seed, though leaf cuttings can also be rooted when larger leaves are used.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haworthia maxima. |
References
- ↑ Plantzafrica SANBI - Information on Haworthia maxima
- ↑ Species description at "Operation Wildflower"
- ↑ Manning, J.C., Boatwright, J.S., Daru, B.H., Maurin, O. and Van der Bank, M. 2014. A molecular phylogeny and generic classification of Asphodelaceae subfamily Alooideae: A final resolution of the prickly issue of polyphyly in the Alooids?. Systematic Botany 39(1):55-74.