Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Asphodelaceae | Clade Angiosperms Order Asparagales Subfamily Asphodeloideae | |
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Tulista minima is a species of succulent plant, from the far south of the Western Cape, South Africa. It was formerly classed in the genus Haworthia, as Haworthia minima.
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Description
It is a small evergreen succulent plant, with hard, fleshy blue-green leaves that are covered in white tubercles. It offsets readily and can form clumps.
It produces white flowers with pink tips in the summer (November to December).
It is a variable species, with different populations differing in the leaf shape, colour, growth form and tubercles. Popular varieties include T.minima var. poellnitziana, as well as the opalina and obrata varieties.
Naming and taxonomy
It was formerly classed in the Haworthia genus, with the other large species (T.pumila, T.kingiana & T.marginata) 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 have therefore been classed as a separate genus, "Tulista".
The name "minima" simply means "smaller" as it is not as large as its closest relatives, such as "Tulista pumila". In some old records it is also occasionally classed as Haworthia margaritifera. Two main varieties are recognised: the main variety minima, and the rarer variety in the far north-west of its range, poellnitziana (Uitewaal), which has longer slender leaves and grows in gravelly fynbos vegetation.
Distribution
The natural distribution of this species is in the far southern part of the Western Cape, South Africa (Its range extends from Bredasdorp and Agulhas, eastwards to Brandrivier, Herbetsdale and Hartenbos).
Its habitat is usually coastal Renosterveld vegetation.
It often occurs alongside other Tulista species and is known naturally to hybridise with Tulista marginata where the two species overlap near Heidelberg.
Cultivation
It is a very easy plant in cultivation, but is nonetheless very rarely grown. It requires well-drained soil, and tolerates both semi-shade and sun. It can be grown from seed, but it offsets and subdivides naturally so it can also be propagated simply by dividing the resulting clump.