Cooper's haworthia

A succulent with jelly-like leaves

Haworthia cooperi is a small succulent that forms compact rosettes of fleshy, swollen, rounded leaves of a pale translucent green. The leaf tips are transparent like little glass windows: held up to the light they look like beads of jelly. This structure, called a 'leaf window', is not just beautiful but functional. It is a highly variable species, with many different forms.

Origin and habitat

It is native to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, where it grows in arid habitats. In the wild it often almost buries itself in the soil, leaving only the transparent leaf tips exposed: light enters through these 'windows' and reaches the photosynthetic tissue inside, while the rest of the plant stays protected from scorching sun and dehydration.

Cultivation

It is one of the easiest and best-loved succulents as a houseplant. It wants bright but filtered light (strong direct sun can scorch its leaves), a very free-draining mineral substrate and sparing watering: let the soil dry out well before watering again, reducing water in winter. It resents waterlogging, which rots its roots, and frost.

Curiosities

It readily produces offsets at the base, which can be detached to make new plants. Its flowers are small and white, borne on a slender stalk, but the real charm of the plant lies in its jewel-like leaves.

Care

Perfect for bright windowsills and small pots, it needs very little attention. The commonest mistake is overwatering: like all succulents, it prefers drought to excess water.