''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
![Haworthia cymbiformis 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Haworthia_cymbiformis_2.jpg)
Plants are small and grow clumps of
rosettes of thick, fleshy, light green leaves. As one of the soft green group of ''
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 ...
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,
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 ...
.
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
/ref>
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