Dark Elegance: Haworthia koelmaniorum x Gasteria 'Black Palm King'

An exquisite architectural hybrid defined by its near-black coloration and rugged, prehistoric texture.

1. Origin & History of Name: The name koelmaniorum honors the Koelman family, who were instrumental in South African succulent botany. The cultivar name "Black Palm King" is a descriptive designation highlighting the hybrid's distinctive dark pigmentation and the palm-like, fan-shaped growth habit inherited from its Gasteria lineage.
2. Morphology: This intergeneric hybrid (Gasterhaworthia) features a compact rosette of lanceolate leaves. The epidermis is remarkably dark, ranging from deep bronze to charcoal black, and is covered in raised, scabrid tubercles that provide a sandpaper-like texture. Unlike many succulents, it lacks prominent costae (ribs), instead presenting a flattened, opaque surface that maximizes light absorption in low-light environments.
3. Habitat & Origin: This plant is a man-made cultivar, not found in the wild. It is the result of selective hybridization between the rare Haworthia koelmaniorum (native to the Mpumalanga province of South Africa) and a select Gasteria clone. Our specimens are produced via sustainable micropropagation or offset division, ensuring no wild populations are impacted.
4. Cultivation Profile:
   • Substrate: Use a strictly mineral-based mix (70% crushed pumice, perlite, or grit and 30% organic matter). Avoid standard garden soil which retains too much moisture in humid Indian climates.
   • Light: Thrives in bright, indirect light. In India, provide morning sun but protect with 50% shade cloth during harsh afternoon peaks to prevent epidermal scorching.
   • Water/Dormancy: Water deeply only when the medium is bone-dry. During the peak summer and monsoon humidity, reduce watering significantly as the plant enters a semi-dormant state.
5. Scientific/Historical Anecdote: The parent species, Haworthia koelmaniorum, was once considered so distinct from other Haworthias due to its unique opaque leaf structure that early botanists debated placing it in its own separate genus. This hybrid inherits that "primitive" look, effectively bridging the evolutionary gap between the two genera.