Haworthia asperata (I. Breuer) is a Haworthia species which is related to Haworthia pygmaea but grows in a habit comparable to that of Haworthia turgida. As Mr. Gerhard Marx explaines:
Haworthia asperata was first found by Ernst van Jaarsveld during field exploration in the Herbertsdale area during 1996. The discovery was done on the farm Kranshoek on the outskirts of Herbertsdale. Soon afterwards it was investigated by Bayer and Venter who concluded that it was a form of Haworthia pygmaea var. pygmaea. Plants labelled ‘Haworthia pygmaea’ with the collection number JDV 93-135 were eventually introduced into cultivation. Ingo Breuer’s recent decision to consider it separate from Haworthia pygmaea was based upon several factors. Apart from being geographically separated by at least 30 km from the nearest typical Haworthia pygmaea, the plants differ somewhat in terms of leaf colour and leaf shape and also grows in a rather different kind of habitat. The leaf colour in Haworthia asperata is slightly less blue-grey and the leaves stand at a semi-erect angle, not as fully recurved as in Haworthia pygmaea. Some plants of Haworthia asperata remind closely of Haworthia turgida and it can be speculated that its existence is the result of past interaction between Haworthia pygmaea and Haworthia turgida. The habitat of Haworthia asperata is also more reminiscent of that of Haworthia turgida, consisting of almost vertical hill slopes while Haworthia pygmaea generally grows on less steep slopes. Unlike Haworthia turgida, Haworthia asperata is mostly solitary and very rarely clusters in the wild. Haworthia turgida var suberecta occurs roughly 20km away near Brandwag and Mossel Bay dam.
At its type locality Haworthia asperata grows alongside Haworthia floribunda and Euphorbia heptagona on almost vertical east-facing slopes consisting of rounded red conglomerate rocks.
A few kilometres to the west on the farm Towerlands it re-occurs in a more attractive darker-leaved form amongst dense fynbos and on north-facing slopes. The latter form also has longer and more slender leaves and tends to cluster sparingly per occasion.
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