Description:

• Small, caulescent, succulent perennials, proliferating from base or subterranean stolons to form small or large clusters, 0.2-0.5 m tall; creeping or supported by surrounding vegetation, branched from base; roots succulent, terete
• Leaves many, distinctly succulent, leathery; spirally arranged, imbricate, basally amplexicaul, deltoid-acuminate, triangular, erectly spreading, both surfaces smooth or tuberculate; lower surface usually with a distinct acentral keel; margins smooth or denticulate; apex acute, sometimes terminating in a mucro
• Inflorescence a laxly flowered raceme or panicle, erectly spreading; peduncle smooth, simple or branched; sterile bracts membranous, persistent, triangular to long-acuminate, erect, small; floral bracts membranous, long-acuminate sometimes mucronate, keeled with 1-3 brownish green or pinkish central nerves, clasping pedicels; pedicels short, ascending, persistent, thin, pinkish brown, shorter than perianth
• Flowers small, tubular, ± regular, ± straight, ascending, few to many, pedicellate or rarely sessile
• Perianth segments fused below, contiguous above, limb short, usually monochrome with colours muted, drab greenish white, rarely cream, beige, yellow or pink, distinctly veined, lobes short, straight, apices free, three inner segments dorsally adhering to outer segments, margins free, membranous to fleshy, cohering above when wilted, circumscissile below; bud narrow, straight
• Stamens included
• Ovary oblong, sessile, with many axile ovules; style subulate; stigma minute, apical
• Capsule erect, cylindric, oblong to obtuse or ovoid to acuminate, chartaceous to woody when dry
• Seeds small, dark brown to black, irregularly angled, laterally compressed, angles obscurely winged, ± 4 mm long
• x = 7 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Astroloba Uitewaal
  • Uitewaal: 53 (1947)
  • Groen: 51 (1987)
• Haworthia Duval
  • Duval: 7 (1809) in part
  • Parr: 145 (1971)
• Apicra Willd.
  • Willdenow: 167 (1811) in part
  • Baker: 329 (1896-1897)
  • Berger: 115 (1908)
  • Phillips: 149 (1926)
  • Uitewaal: 25 (1939)
  • Phillips: 187 (1951)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species ± 7, Western and Eastern Cape