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Haworthia retusa
The plant prefers semi-shady habitats.
Always water a few days after the substrate has dried out. In winter, limit watering.
It can tolerate -1.1 °C in the short term. However, the plant is not hardy.
Often confused with Haworthia mutica. However, unlike Haworthornia mutica, it does not usually have teeth on the tops of its leaves.
Haworthia retusa, also known as Star Cactus or Aloe retusa, is a succulent plant native to a small area around Riversdale in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The epithet "retusa" can be translated from Latin as the word blunt, or with a rounded top. It is often confused with Haworthia mutica, but is distinguished by the absence of teeth on the leaf apices.
The succulent forms low rosettes of thick, fleshy, lime-green leaves that grow arranged in a star-shaped pattern. The leaves are triangular in shape and have a translucent area marked by longitudinal lines at their tips. The size of the rosettes varies up to 15 cm in diameter at maturity. In the wild it is usually a solitary rosette, but in cultivation the plant can form small colonies.
Small, white, tubular flowers with greenish-brown veins appear in late spring and summer. The flowers grow on unbranched flower stalks that grow up to 50 cm long.
Haworthia retusa grows slowly and is relatively resistant to mechanical damage. Fertilisation is not necessary, but will not harm the plant. It can be lightly fertilised. With its geometric triangular leaves, it is popular with growers and is also very hardy. It presents a kind of succulent simplicity in sharply cut details.