Haworthia                                    H comptoniana v comptoniana

00054 Willowmore South west of town

Ingo Beuer has reinstated comptoniana (emelyae v comptoniana - Bayer) on species level. If the binomial system has to stay then this is a sensible approach when dealing with a genus that often has many in between forms. More names give more scope in describing new plants found. This will not solve the problems, but should alleviate them somewhat. The varietal status of comptoniana was based largely on a locality of H picta (emelyae - Bayer) near the Kammanassie Dam. The H picta near Kammanassie Dam (v janvlokii - Breuer) are more robust then other picta and have in cultivation a growth tempo comparable to that of comptoniana. This is were the similarities end however. H picta from Kammanassie in general have a unique matt surface, lack the distinct, smooth, shiny, plastic-like epidermis of comptoniana, and have different leaf markings. H comptoniana is also far removed (about 80 km to the east) from the Kammanassie picta. It is a fascinating species, found in the Eastern Cape where the only other member of the retuse group is H bayeri. Incidently H bayeri is found in close proximity to H comptoniana. Notwithstanding the arguments presented above, the closest relative of comptoniana probably is picta. Explorations intended to find similar or linking plants in this 80km gap have proved fruitless so far. The search is bound to continue however.-- All photographs by Gerhard Marx.