It can be distinguished from its Haworthia relatives, by its rounded leaf tips and its dark colour.
The upper leaf faces are semi-translucent. They are usually marked with longitudinal lines or reticulated patterns, rather than with spots or flecks.
Rosettes are usually solitary, as the plant rarely forms offsets.
This species is variable and has multiple different regional forms:
Flowers appear in September and October.[1]
This is a "retuse" species of Haworthia and is easily confused with its relatives (e.g. Haworthia pygmaea, Haworthia retusa, Haworthia springbokvlakensis, Haworthia mirabilis, Haworthia emelyae and Haworthia magnifica).
A western form, inhabiting shale rocks near Oudtshoorn, is sometimes considered a separate species, Haworthia truteriorum. It is smaller, dull-green, with silver lines or flecks on its leaves, which have more strongly toothed margins.[2]
An outlying population of similar plants in the Rooinek Pass, south of Laingsburg, is now usually classed as a separate species, Haworthia marxii.