''Haworthia cymbiformis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of the genus ''

Haworthia ''Haworthia'' is a large genus of small succulent plants endemic to Southern Africa ( Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa). Like the aloes, they are members of the subfamily Asphodeloideae and they generally resemble ...

'' in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Asphodelaceae Asphodelaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asparagales. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, but the circumscription has varied widely. In its current circumscription in the APG IV system, it includes about 4 ...

, endemic to the Eastern Cape Province in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Description

Plants are small and grow clumps of rosettes of thick, fleshy, light green leaves. As one of the soft green group of ''

s'' it is frequently confused with its relatives (e.g. '' Haworthia cooperi'' which shares a similar distribution range, as well as ''

Haworthia mucronata ''Haworthia mucronata'' is a species of the genus ''Haworthia'' in the family Asphodelaceae, endemic to the Little Karoo region, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Etymology The genus name ''Haworthia'' honors the British botanist A ...

'' and '' Haworthia marumiana'' to the west). A distinctive feature is the soft, "boat-shaped" leaves (''"cymbiformis"'' actually means "boat-shaped"). Its leaves are not recurved like the "retuse" Haworthias (e.g. ''

Haworthia mirabilis ''Haworthia mirabilis'' is a species of the genus ''Haworthia'' belonging to the family (biology), family Asphodelaceae. Etymology The genus name ''Haworthia'' honors the British botanist Adrian Hardy Haworth (1767–1833), while the species epi ...

'' or ''

Haworthia retusa ''Haworthia retusa'' is a species of flowering plants of the genus ''Haworthia'' in the family Asphodelaceae, endemic to a very small area around Riversdale, in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Growing to tall and broad, it is a peren ...

''). Another feature is that the leaves usually have transparent streaks around their tips. In the wild, the sun is very bright, and the plant grows mostly buried by sand with only these transparent tips above the ground.

Distribution and habitat

The natural range of this species is roughly between Port Elizabeth and East London in Eastern Cape Province,

. This range closely matches that of its relative, '' Haworthia cooperi''. ''H.cymboformis'' grows on cliffs and ''H.cooperi'' grows on lowland plains. This is a summer rainfall region.Haworthia cymbiformis information page
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Varieties

The variety list below is adapted from

WCSP The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected plan ...

as of February 2018. # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''angustata'' Poelln. # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''cymbiformis'' (

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

) # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''incurvula'' (Poelln.) M.B.Bayer # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''obtusa'' (Haw.) Baker # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''ramosa'' (G.G.Sm.) M.B.Bayer # ''Haworthia cymbiformis'' var. ''setulifera'' (Poelln.) M.B.Bayer File:Haworthia cymbiformis var ramosa 2.jpg, ''H. cymbiformis'' var. ''ramosa'' File:Haworthia cymbiformis var setulifera 1.jpg, ''H. cymbiformis'' var. ''setulifera''

References

External links

*
photos on www.AIAPS.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q247484 cymbiformis Flora of the Cape Provinces Endemic flora of South Africa Garden plants Plants described in 1804