Tulista pumila

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

Tulista pumila
Tulista pumila in habitat near Worcester, South Africa.
Scientific classification
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

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 & 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

• Tulista pumila var. ohkuwae (M.Hayashi) Breuer - Western Cape Province
• Tulista pumila var. pumila (autonym) - southwest of Cape Province
• Tulista pumila var. sparsa (M.Hayashi) Breuer - Western Cape Province

[5]

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

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.

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.