Haworthia breueri Select and click for a larger image. |
Distribution: | Africa: South Africa: Western Cape: |
Synonym:Haworthia emelyae var. major. H emelyae 'major' . Closely related to, and growing not far from H wimii, H breueri is rather variable. The leaves are either retuse or semi retuse. The species is found north of the Langeberg and east of Garcia's Pass. The remnants of the link to Haworthia picta (from further east) are still visible on some of the plants, becoming more vague towards the west as it grades into H wimii and from there perhaps southerly to Haworthia paradoxa. The latter connection is still much open to debate but is does appear that a clean break from H picta to the coastal Haworthias (south of the Langeberg) does not exist and it maybe taxonomically safer to keep accepting numerous different species rather than to have these plants eventually swallowed up into some ever increasing 'super species'. The known localities of Haworthia breueri are at Springfontein, Oskop, Sandkraal and Waterval. The following update by Gerhard Marx 27 Feb 2014: New photographs also included. Haworthia breueri (Hayashi) : Mini article by Gerhard Marx, Haworthia breueri is an old and very well-known and well-represented species in cultivation, mostly found labelled either as ‘Haworthia sandkraalensis’, ‘Haworthia emelyae’ or ‘Haworthia emelyae var major’. It does blend somewhat confusingly into Haworthia wimii (Haworthia emelyae vra major) and Haworthia multifolia in the western Sandkraal areas and the recently described Haworthia obserata can also look confusingly similar. The brief explanation below explains how it differs from Haworthia emelyae, Haworthia wimii, Haworthia multifolia and Haworthia obserata. Haworthia breueri is closest related to Haworthia picta (emelyae) and the flowers and flowering times are identical. It differs from Haworthia picta by having teeth along the leaf margins, more leaves per rosette, scabrid to spinose-tubercled upper leaf surfaces, dull grey-green color and narrower pointed leaves. Haworthia multifolia differs from Haworthia breueri by having semi-erect leaves that are greener in color. There is a transitional population between Haworthia breueri and Haworthia multifolia on the western edge of the farm Sandkraal and Dr Hayashi has named this population ‘Haworthia maculosa’. In the wild the latter plants look just like a form of Haworthia breueri with semi-erect leaves but in cultivation it proves its closer affinity with Haworthia multifolia by developing rosettes with as much as 60 leaves. Haworthia wimii is in fact the least easy to distinguish from Haworthia breueri in terms of plant and leaf features and plants in cultivation can look quite similar on occasion. In general the leaves of Haworthia breueri are more chunky and less narrow than those of Haworthia wimii which are also more densely spinose. The flowering time for Haworthia wimii is three months later as Haworthia breueri flowers during August while Haworthia wimii flowers during December. In the wild Haworthia wimii is a cliff-dweller while Haworthia breueri grows in flat ground on gentle slopes of low hills. Haworthia obserata from Brandrivier is another superficial lookalike but is a Haworthia magnifica-mirabilis related element that flowers in March. Haworthia breueri is known only from a few localities between Springfontein in the west and Oskop in the east. Its main area of distribution is the low quartzite hills on the farm Sandkraal East . |
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