Tulista pumila

Last updated

Tulista pumila
1 Haworthia maxima in habitat - Worcester South Africa.jpg
Tulista pumila in habitat near Worcester, South Africa.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Tulista
Species:
T. pumila
Binomial name
Tulista pumila
(L.) G.D.Rowley

Tulista pumila ("Vratjiesaalwee") is a species of Tulista succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa.

Contents

It was formerly placed in the genus Haworthia , as Haworthia pumila or Haworthia maxima.

Description

It is an evergreen, winter-growing succulent plant with sharp succulent leaves arranged in rosettes of 20 cm in diameter. The leaves are hard, upright, sometimes incurved and are usually covered with raised white tubercles. It is a variable species, with different populations differing in the leaf shape, colour, growth form and tubercles. It also varies according to environment, and in direct sun during the dry summer, it can assume a red colour. The leaves usually have an olive-green to brown colour.

In the summer (November to December) Tulista pumila produces pink-white tubular flowers, on a tall thin inflorescence. [1]

Naming and taxonomy

The eponymy of this species has been relatively complex. It was previously named Haworthia maxima or Haworthia pumila. In some old records it is also occasionally listed as Haworthia margaritifera. [2] [3]

It is the largest of the Tulista species (reaching up to 30 cm in height), and is classed with the other large species ( T. marginata , T. minima and T. kingiana ) in the "Robustipedunculares" subgenus. Following recent phylogenetic studies, it has been shown that these four species in fact constitute a distinct out-group, separate from other Haworthias. They were therefore classed as a separate genus, " Tulista ". [4]

Varieties

Hybrids

This species hybridises easily and naturally with Astroloba corrugata , with which its natural range overlaps. The resulting natural hybrids are named × Astrolista bicarinata . [6]

Distribution

The natural distribution of this species is in the far south-western part of the Cape, centred on the Robertson Karoo vegetation of the Breede River Valley. It also extends north-east as far as Laingsburg. Here is occurs in Karoo scrub.

Cultivation

A small specimen of Tulista pumila in cultivation, South Africa 1 Haworthia maxima in cultivation - South Africa.jpg
A small specimen of Tulista pumila in cultivation, South Africa

It is a popular plant in cultivation, though it can be slow-growing. It is not known how long the plants live for, but some specimens have been kept in captivity for over 40 years. The plant requires well-drained soil, and it is one of the few Tulista species that thrives in full sun.

The plant rarely offsets, so most propagation is by seed, though leaf cuttings can also be rooted when larger leaves are used.

Related Research Articles

<i>Haworthia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Haworthia is a large genus of small succulent plants endemic to Southern Africa (Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa).

<i>Gasteria</i> Genus of succulent flowering plants from South Africa

Gasteria is a genus of succulent plants, native to South Africa and the far south-west corner of Namibia.

<i>Haworthia truncata</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia truncata, locally known as horse's teeth, is a species of succulent plant in the genus Haworthia. It is found in the Little Karoo region, in the far east of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

<i>Haworthia magnifica</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia magnifica is a species of the genus Haworthia belonging to the family Asphodelaceae.

<i>Haworthia mirabilis</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia mirabilis is a species of the genus Haworthia belonging to the family Asphodelaceae.

<i>Astroloba</i> Genus of flowering plants native to South Africa

Astroloba is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, native to the Cape Province of South Africa.

<i>Haworthiopsis attenuata</i> Species of flowering plant

Haworthiopsis attenuata, formerly Haworthia attenuata, commonly known as zebra haworthia, is a small species of succulent plant from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. As an ornamental, it is one of the most commonly cultivated of the Haworthiopsis species.

<i>Tulista</i> Genus of flowering plants

Tulista is a small genus of succulent plants endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. They were formerly included within the genus Haworthia.

<i>Astroloba corrugata</i> Species of flowering plant

Astroloba corrugata is a small succulent plant of the Astroloba genus, endemic to the Little Karoo and the far south of the Western Cape, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robertson Karoo</span> Semi-arid vegetation type of the Succulent Karoo of South Africa

Robertson Karoo is a semi-arid vegetation type, restricted to sections of the Breede River Valley, Western Cape Province, South Africa. It is a subtype of Succulent Karoo and is characterised by the dominance of succulent plant species, and by several endemic plants and animals.

<i>Haworthia retusa</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia retusa is a species of flowering plants of the genus Haworthia in the family Asphodelaceae, endemic to a very small area around Riversdale, in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Growing to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall and broad, it is a perennial succulent with thick triangular leaves and small white tubular flowers held in 50 cm (20 in) tall racemes.

<i>Haworthiopsis scabra</i> Species of succulent

Haworthiopsis scabra, formerly Haworthia scabra, is a species of flowering succulent plant from arid regions of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa.

<i>Haworthia zantneriana</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia zantneriana is a species of the genus Haworthia in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, endemic to the southern parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa.

<i>Haworthiopsis viscosa</i> Species of succulent

Haworthiopsis viscosa, formerly Haworthia viscosa, is a species of flowering succulent plant from the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa.

<i>Haworthia arachnoidea</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia arachnoidea, locally known as "papierrosie" (paper-rose) or "spinnekopnes" (spider-nest), is the type species of the genus Haworthia, in the family Asphodelaceae, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

<i>Tulista kingiana</i> Species of succulent plant from the Western Cape, South Africa

Tulista kingiana is a species of succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN global Red List.

<i>Tulista marginata</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulista marginata is a species of Tulista succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Tulista minor</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulista minor is a species of succulent plant, from the far south of the Western Cape, South Africa.

<i><span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> Astrolista</i> Genus of flowering plants

× Astrolista is a nothogenus of naturally occurring inter-generic hybrids in the Little Karoo region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

References

  1. "Tulista pumila - PlantZAfrica.com".
  2. Kirkel, Judd. "Operation Wildflower - rescuing indigenous vegetation - Category: Succulents - Image: Tulista pumila, previously Haworthia".
  3. R. Mottram: Haworthia pumila, margaritifera, or what? Haworthiad Vol.14(1)22-24pp. 2000.
  4. Manning, J.C., Boatwright, J.S., Daru, B.H., Maurin, O. and Van der Bank, M. 2014. A molecular phylogeny and generic classification of Asphodelaceae subfamily Alooideae: A final resolution of the prickly issue of polyphyly in the Alooids?. Systematic Botany 39(1):55-74.
  5. "Search term = Tulista pumila". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. G.Smith, E.Figeueiredo, S.Molteno (2017): xAstrolista: A new name for the South African endemic nothogenus x Astroworthia. Bradleya 35, pp. 195-200.