Haworthia fusca is an eastern form of the Haworthia retusa complex similarly as Haworthia splendens is and eastern extension of Haworthia magnifica(mirabilis).
Haworthia fusca compares well to Haworthia retusa in many of its features.
Although probably only a few main groups of retusoid Haworthias are found in the coastal areas of South Africa, no satisfactory approach currently exists (or perhaps can ever exist) to link the numerous unique populations usings varieties, subspecies or whatever to a specific species parentage with confidence. For practical reasons therefore this website upholds Haworthia fusca as a separate species.
The plants in habitat at Paulsfontein have an attractive reddish colour when exposed to the sun, less so when in a greenhouse. This species is found slightly to the east of Haworthia splendens at Soutpanskoppies. The plants seem to have no relation to each other as: the flowering time of Haworthia splendens is in autumn and Haworthia fusca flowers in spring, the floral charachteristics of Haworthia fusca are reminiscent of Haworthia retusa and those of Haworthia splendens similar to Haworthia magnifica. There are also other differences to strengthen this argument.
I include for now some old Mavica photographs in habitat.
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