Haworthia maughanii
| Light | Bright, indirect light; protect from harsh direct sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Moderately in growth; keep nearly dry in the hot summer and cold winter rests |
| Soil | Very free-draining, mostly mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing; USDA zones 9b–11, best as a protected potted plant |
| Propagation | Seed; leaf cuttings and division of offsets; often kept true by grafting or tissue culture in choice clones |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to cats and dogs |
Haworthia maughanii is a slow-growing, highly prized South African succulent whose upright, cylindrical leaves are abruptly cut off flat at the tips, so that a mature plant presents a neat circle of translucent leaf "windows" at soil level. Together with its close relative Haworthia truncata it forms the flat-topped or "truncate" window-leaved haworthias, and it has become a mainstay of Japanese collector breeding, where individual clones can fetch remarkable prices. It is often treated as Haworthia truncata var. maughanii.
Description
Haworthia maughanii is a small, mostly solitary rosette that in habitat sits largely buried, with only the flat leaf tops exposed. Where Haworthia truncata arranges its truncated leaves in two opposite rows (a fan), maughanii arranges its leaves in a spiral, so the flattened windows form a rough circle or disc when viewed from above — the single most reliable way to tell the two apart.
Each leaf is stubby, upright and cylindrical, ending in a translucent, frosted-grey to greenish window criss-crossed by fine lines. In the wild these windows are the only part of the plant that catches the light, admitting it to the photosynthetic tissue below while the rest of the leaf stays safely underground. Selected cultivars exaggerate the window's clarity, pattern and size. Slender white flowers on a wiry stalk appear in the warmer months but are unremarkable next to the foliage.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to a restricted area of the Little Karoo in the Western Cape of South Africa, where it grows in gritty, quartz-rich ground among low scrub. Plants withdraw into the soil in drought and heat, relying on the buried, window-tipped leaves to survive long dry spells with only their tops showing. Like all wild haworthias it is best appreciated through nursery-grown plants; wild collection is discouraged and populations are limited.
Cultivation
Haworthia maughanii asks for the same unhurried, dry-leaning care as most window haworthias. Grow it in a very free-draining, largely mineral mix in a pot deep enough for its contractile roots, in bright but filtered light — enough to keep the rosette compact and the windows clear, but shaded from scorching midday sun that can bleach or mark the flat tips.
Water moderately while the plant is in active growth (typically the cooler, milder parts of the year), letting the mix dry out between waterings, and ease right off during the peak of summer and through winter when the plant naturally rests. Overwatering, especially in a heavy mix or a cold spell, is the usual cause of rot. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
The species can be raised from seed, which is how new variation for breeding is generated, though seedlings are slow. Established plants may be increased by division of the occasional offset, or by leaf cuttings — a healthy leaf pulled cleanly and set on a mineral mix will often form roots and a small plantlet at its base. Because prized named clones do not come true from seed, growers keep them going vegetatively, and choice or weak specimens are sometimes grafted or micropropagated to bulk them up.
Cultivars
Like Haworthia truncata, this species has been bred intensively, above all in Japan, for the clarity, colour, patterning and outline of the leaf windows. Selected lines emphasise glassy "picture window" tops, bold linear or reticulate markings, unusual leaf colour, and variegation; standout clones are propagated vegetatively and named. See the Haworthia genus page for an overview of the collector groups.
Common problems
- Rot — the leading killer, almost always from overwatering, a slow-draining mix, or water sitting on the plant during its rest; the rosette or roots turn soft and brown.
- Marked or sunken windows — harsh direct sun can scorch and scar the flat leaf tips, which do not heal.
- Etiolation — too little light stretches the leaves and dulls the windows, spoiling the tight disc form.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff among the leaves and on the roots) and, less often, root mealybugs and fungus gnats in overly wet mix. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Haworthia — the genus overview
- Haworthia truncata — the fan-leaved sister species
- Grafting · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation - seed · Propagation - cuttings · Repotting