Haworthia mucronata

Haworthia mucronata
Haworthia mucronata in habitat (var. polyphylla)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Xanthorrhoeaceae
Subfamily:	Asphodeloideae
Genus:	Haworthia
Species:	H. mucronata
Binomial name
Haworthia mucronata Haw.

Haworthia mucronata is a species of the genus Haworthia in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, endemic to the Little Karoo region, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Etymology

The genus name Haworthia honors the British botanist Adrian Hardy Haworth (1767–1833), while the species epitheton mucronata ("pointy") derives from Latin and refers to the pointed leaf-shape.

Description

Plants grow as tight proliferous clumps of offsetting rosettes. As one of the soft-leaved, pale-green group of Haworthias it is frequently confused with its relatives (e.g. Haworthia cooperi, Haworthia cymbiformis and Haworthia marumiana). It also hybridises naturally with Haworthia arachnoidea in habitat, and the two seem to form a continuum.

A distinctive feature of this species is the small size, and the mildly incurved shape of the leaves. These are ovate-lanceolate, and are packed - dense and numerous - within the rosette. The keel and margins of the leaves are also translucent (and usually with tiny bristles).

Distribution

This species is relatively common in habitat, being found from Barrydale to Oudtshoorn. It is endemic to the Little Karoo region, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

References