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26.4.07

Haworthia cuspidata

I got this Haworthia from the greenhouse at a local Home Depot in Chicago. They had just gotten a shipment in of Cacti & Succulents from Altman Plants. I was drawn to this succulent plant because of it's variegation and particularly the ghostly offset you see in the photo. I was equally impressed by the tiny flower and the way it matches the colors in the leaves.

 


Haworthias are native to South Africa and are winter growers that go dormant during the hot summer months. Haworthia cuspidata is supposedly a cross between Haworthia retusa and cymbiformis and it's been a great plant in the indoor garden. Haworthias prefer filtered light and their small rosette shape make them ideal plants for a collection on a window ledge. Since they're winter growers tending to them can help occupy the boring winter months when there isn't much going on in your garden and we all know that idle hands are the seed catalog's playthings.

9 comments:

  1. Very interesting plant. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Hi Sam,

    No problem. I have a couple more cool succulents I am going to post pics of.

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  3. Coming out of lurkdom today.

    Isn't it interesting that Home Depot and other big box stores have some wonderful plants? I always look in the garden department (well, I have to kill time somehow while DH oogles the powertools don't I?) My friend would shop these stores and when they had a mark down on plants that were not doing well, she bought them and tried to figure out where to plant them and their care. We called her the plant doctor. Love your blog!

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  4. Hi Debbie,

    You're right that you can sometimes find some good plant in big box stores. Although I never seem to find those really good deals that everyone else does I'm pretty happy with catching a cool plant every once and a while.


    Thanks for stopping by and coming out of lurkdom :)

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  5. What an interesting looking plant. Never saw one before. I'll have to look for it, well maybe not. I tried to grow some of the lithops but they died in spite of following care instructions to the T. So I'm a little wary of trying to grow some of the African succulents.

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  6. Ki,

    You should give Haworthias a try. They're much easier to keep than Lithops are. I've been trying to keep Lithops for about 10 years now and still kill them. Haworthias I can't seem to kill.

    I have trouble rooting them but that's about it. Once they're established they're pretty easy plants.

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  7. Hi Mr Brown Thumb,

    About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a Haworthia which was in with the $1.99 pots of sedum, also at Home Depot. It was unlabeled but so cute that I bought it. The little 4" plant spread to fill a 10-inch terra cotta pot on the deck, and still thinking it was a sedum - I left it outside at Christmas.

    That is the way to kill them, Mr Brown Thumb! Mine turned to mush in the cold, with a couple of leaves alive at the base. They had enough oomph to grow into two small plants.

    A person at the Austin Succulent society ID'd my plant as a Haworthia, possibly a hybrid of turgida, with the chunky triangular, 'window-paned' leaves.

    It now grows on a NE window sill year round.

    It sure was a surprise to find such an unusual plant in with the 'usual suspects'.

    Annie

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  8. I love Haworthias - I learned how not to over-water them though... they really don't like it. This is a pretty one. I like the light-coloured parts.

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  9. Hi Annie and Kate.

    Sorry for the late response but I was having trouble with comments getting sent to me. Anyway Annie if you see this I'd love to see a pic of yours if you have one. My favorite things about Haworthias is the 'window' in the leaves.

    Thanks Kate, yeah I had to learn how to water mine to keep them happy and I had to learn not to give them as much sun as the rest of my C&S or else they get a little bit burned.

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