Mix-and-match’ Haworthias

Without a doubt, Haworthias, those wondrous gems of nature endemic to South Africa, are among the most popular of all plant groups in the world today. In fact, there is a global boom in the Haworthia trade, with demand from collectors from the US and Europe to Japan and even the Philippines at an all-time high. Part of this appeal is due in a large part to the massive variety of form, leaf texture, size, shape and color to be found within the genus. Amassing a collection of all the true species and their variants (and there are thousands) has been one of my life’s missions. But what happens when one "mixes and matches" Haworthia species?

I am not going to get into the deep technicalities about the hybridization process. Simply put, hybridizing Haworthias, where flowers from one species are pollinated with that of another (or even within a particular species, when different populations bearing slightly differing characteristics are crossed) to produce truly unique offspring, is becoming a global passion. The Japanese are famous for creating many of these hybrid wonders; hence, many of the most notable examples bear Japanese names. But of late, many European and American hybrids have also entered the market in full force. The results can be quite startling, as gleaned from the various specimen photos here. Some of the best hybrid examples have actually been created quite by accident, oftentimes by a hungry insect pollinator going from one flower stalk to another without regard for the species. By this simple act of nature, some of the best hybrids (and this isn’t just limited to Haworthias now) have been born.

But the other, more scientific route, is a purely deliberate and well-planned process. A grower selects a special trait or characteristic in a particular parent plant and crosses this with another promising donor to produce offspring that will hopefully show off the best of both parents. Sometimes, the dedicated hybridizer will even cross the resulting hybrids several times to get the desired result. Many times, the offspring turn out to be duds, i.e., nothing special, even downright grotesque at times. For horticulturists, it is best to just get rid of unwanted hybrids. But at other times, something wonderful results.

As an example, take Haworthia cooperi v. venusta, one of the most desired of all Haworthias for its fat, translucent leaves coated with a hairy white outer layer. When the famous South African collector and succulent grower Gerhard Marx rediscovered this plant, it caused a worldwide sensation among collectors. I remember sending a plant of this taxon to a good friend and serious collector in Japan, Hiroshi Nakatani, shortly after the plant started to become available to serious collectors. That Christmas, I was surprised (and honored) to receive a Christmas card from Hiroshi with this particular plant on its cover (Hiroshi has made it a tradition to feature a treasured plant on his Christmas cards every year, and he’s been doing it for many years now).

Now take another potentially interesting parent (also highly desired), Haworthia arachnoidea v. scabrispina (some call this v. gigas) with its fierce, thorny armature of beautiful white spines engulfing the plant and giving the uninformed onlooker the impression of a thick bird’s nest. Combining venusta and scabrispina has produced some very interesting offspring, including the one depicted here. I must say, a very intriguing hybrid indeed.

By marrying species such as Haworthia magnifica v. splendens, H. pygmaea, H. emelyae v. comptoniana, H. springbokvlakensis and other retuse-leaved Haworthias, other very interesting and beautiful hybrids have been produced. But even the non-retuse Haworthias have been hybridized with some good results. As an example here, the grass-like H. blackburniae and the common-looking H. angustifolia were crossed to produce a plumpish, grass-like hybrid. In short, with the genetic material and potential presented within Haworthias, producing fantastic hybrids is only limited by one’s creativity, imagination and access to good plant material (and, of course, a bit of luck). And this has spurred a growing commercialization and fascination for these mix-and-match Haworthias, with some truly special examples going for hundreds to thousands of dollars each. But for me, the joy of owning and growing some of these beauties is worth a whole lot more.

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E-mail the author at succulentophile@yahoo.com