The Illustrated Handbook of Succulents gives rather short shrift to this charming form saying simply that it “Differs from var. reinwardtii: Outer side of L with tubercles in longitudinal rows.” While that is certainly true, it fails to convey the charm of the clustering plants that form short columns of spiraling, claw-like leaves ornamented with orderly rows of white tubercles against the green to red-blushed background. We offer divisions of HBG 69817, which was collected by former Huntington curator Michael Vassar on one of his many trips to S. Africa. While we have his collection number, MV 6521, unfortunately his collection notebooks were lost after his death in 2003. However, the form is known from the Fish River canyon of the E. Cape, S. Africa. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 96 (2), Summer 2024