ISI 2023-24. Haworthia viscosa (L.) Haw.

You may call this Haworthiopsis viscosa (L.) Gildenh. & Klopper if you want to try on the new taxonomy that elevates former subgenera of Haworthia to generic level. Nevertheless, most collectors will be happy to call this by its traditional Haworthia name. Collectors will also recognize this species as it is fairly common in cultivation, though perhaps less so than H. nigra. Both form columns of three-ranked leaves with varying degrees of spiraling. Those of H. nigra are dark, as the name implies, and tuberculate, while H. viscosa has, scabrous or smooth, green leaves. Leaf length varies more in H. viscosa and some forms are cleaner growing than others. This is a good one in that regard and came to us as fa. subobtusa. This is one of a few names, out of many synonyms reflecting the diversity of the species, that John Pilbeam recognized at forma level for the benefit of collectors in his 1983 Haworthia and Astroloba: a collector’s guide. He describes it as having “short leaves, less narrowly pointed toward the tip; it is distinctly slower-growing than most, and makes an extremely attractive, tight clump of stems over a long period of time.” Perhaps that is why it has taken us so long to get around to introducing this collection. We offer divisions of HBG 70076, from Michael Vassar (MV 4924), collected Jan 4, 1991, 20 km N of Willowmore in the E. Cape. Michael noted: “Cold area, there was heavy frost early in the morning. Growing with Aloe longistyla, Ornithogalum apterum?, Lachenalia sp., 2 Oxalis sp., many unidentified bulbs.” The date of collection is uncertain as January is during the S. African summer. Presumably, then, the plant was collected on Michael’s South African expedition of the prior July or August. $10.