Bulbine haworthioides
| Light | Bright light to light shade; a few hours of gentle sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Regularly while in leaf; keep dry during summer dormancy |
| Soil | Fast-draining gritty mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Frost-free; USDA zones 9–11 |
| Propagation | Seed; occasional offsets divided during dormancy |
| Toxicity | Generally regarded as non-toxic |
Bulbine haworthioides is a small, deciduous South African succulent that grows from a tuber and forms a low rosette of soft, spreading leaves. As its name suggests, the little rosette — grey-green, striped, and edged with fine pale hairs — closely resembles a haworthia, making it a charming novelty among the tuberous members of the genus Bulbine.
Description
Bulbine haworthioides grows from a small, lobed tuber that sits at or just above the soil surface, from which a compact rosette of soft, succulent leaves emerges each growing season. The leaves are grey-green, marked with darker longitudinal stripes, and finely edged with short white hairs that nearly meet at the tips. It is this pale-margined, spreading rosette — only a few centimetres across — that gives the plant its haworthia-like look, hiding much of its bulk in the tuber.
Being deciduous, the plant dies back to its tuber during its dormant period, disappearing almost entirely from view before reappearing when conditions turn favourable again. Slender flower stalks rise above the rosette, carrying small, star-shaped yellow blooms in late spring and early summer, each bearing the softly bearded stamens that are a hallmark of the genus.
Distribution and habitat
Bulbine haworthioides is a narrow endemic of South Africa, known from a single locality in the Knersvlakte near Lutzville, in the Western Cape. It grows in quartz gravel on low hillocks within the Succulent Karoo, a winter-rainfall region of distinct wet and dry seasons. Like other tuberous bulbines, it draws on the reserves stored in its tuber to survive the dry season, retreating to the tuber when moisture is scarce and flushing into leaf when the rains return.
Conservation
On the South African Red List (SANBI) the species is assessed as Vulnerable, reflecting its restriction to a single known location. Recognised pressures include collection for the succulent trade, habitat loss to agriculture and mining, and trampling by livestock. Plants in cultivation should be raised from seed or nursery stock rather than taken from the wild.
Cultivation
Bulbine haworthioides is grown much as other winter-growing tuberous succulents. Plant it in a very free-draining, gritty mix and give it bright light with perhaps a little shelter from the fiercest midday sun, which can scorch the soft leaves. Water regularly while the plant is in active leaf, always allowing the mix to dry appreciably between waterings, and respect its dormancy by keeping it dry once the rosette begins to die back.
The most important thing is to follow the plant's natural rhythm rather than a fixed calendar: water when it is in leaf, withhold when it rests. Overwatering a dormant tuber is the surest way to lose it. Keep the plant frost-free and, because the tuber naturally sits at or near the surface, plant it shallowly so it does not sit sodden. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Seed is the most reliable method and, as with many bulbines, fresh seed germinates readily when sown onto a warm, gritty surface and kept lightly moist. Established plants may in time produce offsets that can be separated during dormancy, though this is less common than raising plants from seed. See Propagation — seed and Propagation — offsets for fuller walkthroughs.
Common problems
- Tuber rot — almost always the result of watering during dormancy or using a slow-draining mix; the tuber softens and collapses.
- Failure to re-sprout — a tuber kept too wet, too cold, or too dry for too long may fail to break dormancy; match watering to the plant's active and resting phases.
- Pests — mealybugs can lodge among the leaf bases and, more insidiously, on the tuber and roots; watch for them at repotting. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Bulbine — the genus overview
- Haworthia — the lookalike rosettes it is named for
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation — seed · Propagation — offsets · Repotting