Haworthia maraisii

HBG 120289 ISI 2025-26 ex Karoo BG 11/26/02 Miniature rosettes to 2 cm diameter. Lvs dark blue-green, scabrous. Slowly offsets to form clumps. Described and named by Karl von Pöllnitz (1896–1945). Often historically debated as a variety of H. magnifica or H. mirabilis, this specific clone was originally sourced from the Karoo Botanical Garden (KBG 148/2000) in Worcester, South Africa, and offered through the Huntington's 2025 International Succulent Introductions. Endemic to the Cape's winter-rainfall climate, this species wakes up as the weather cools in autumn, pushing its active leaf growth and thick, fleshy contractile root development through the mild winter and into spring. During the heat of mid-summer, it goes semi-dormant and requires very careful, reduced watering to avoid boiling or rotting its sensitive root system. In a mild, coastal Southern California climate like Zone 10b, it thrives outdoors year-round under the dappled protection of a shade cloth, which provides just enough stress to bring out its dark purple hues without scorching the leaf tips. Because of its thick roots, it requires a deep pot and a highly porous, fast-draining substrate. An airy, high-mineral blend—such as 80% pumice cut with 20% organic material, or a heavily aerated mix incorporating sterilized decomposed granite—is perfect to ensure water flashes through the pot quickly and oxygen reaches the root zone.