Haworthia parksiana

Highly adapted to a mild, maritime climate with a bimodal rainfall pattern (receiving small amounts of precipitation in both winter and summer), this miniature species drives its primary vegetative growth during the temperate months of autumn and spring. It slows its metabolism down significantly during the intense heat of mid-summer and the coldest stretches of winter. It produces tiny, inconspicuous white-to-greenish flowers on very slender, simple inflorescences during the spring. Because of its diminutive size and low-light habitat underneath dense nurse bushes, it is highly sensitive to direct, intense sunlight, which can quickly scorch or fatally dehydrate its compact tissue. In cultivation, it demands a highly porous, sharp-draining mineral substrate (such as 80% to 90% pumice, fine gravel, and akadama with minimal organics) to protect its delicate, fleshy roots from damp stagnation. It requires careful, disciplined watering only when the potting medium has dried out completely, along with bright, filtered light and excellent airflow.