Haworthia tesselata

• 24 Sep, 2012
• 3 likes

Sixty centimeters of thin two millimeter bare stem terminating in a meager little bunch of five insignificant blossoms each twenty millimeters x seven millimeters of which this is one, arose from a single rosette of Haworthia tesellata growing on my windowsill. Best overlooked as little other than just one more weedy nuisance, one might think but a close up shot and a little digital editing and this rather strange succulent lily-like blossom is revealed complete with bee-guides which may only be seen in all their true prominence by ultra-violet light. In its drought-prone habitat this plant's minimalist approach to flower production enables its flower spike to be displayed for extended periods without a very significant loss of its limited vital water reserves and it also serves to demonstrate with its bee-guides how different the world of insect sight is to ours.