Garden hybrids of Astroloba and Haworthia are not uncommon, but most are rather muddy-looking mongrels without the distinctive attractions of either parent. The hybrid named here for the first time is an exception with its stacked rosettes of stiff, narrow-triangular, pointed leaves that blush a fiery reddish color. The precise parentage is unknown but appears to include one of the smooth-leaved Astroloba species with similar stacking leaves. Haworthia coarctata may have contributed its colorful foliage and a hint of tubercles on the leaf-surfaces. Rooted offsets of HBG 97487, a plant that came to us in Jan., 2001, with the collection of Los Angeles resident Stan Green. $7.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 80 (2), March - April, 2008