Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Desert
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Rare

About

A compact rosette succulent with fleshy, translucent-tipped leaves that act as natural windows — channelling sunlight down to chloroplasts buried inside the leaf to survive in the rocky crevices of South Africa's Eastern Cape. Rarely exceeds 5 cm tall, making it one of the most low-maintenance windowsill plants.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Genus: Haworthia
Species: Haworthia cooperi