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After obtaining two small offshoots of Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana and seeing juster's G. armstrongii I have decided to add a few more "dwarf" Gasterias to my collection. May I ask for a few suggestions of naturally occurring taxa of small, fat l and preferably truncate leaved Gasterias? I'd rather start from such, unless there are some cultivars matching my requirements really worth attention.

So far I have shortlisted the following (using Llifle as my main source):

• G. armstrongii (leaves <60 mm, but there apparently is a "short leaved form" as well, which would be amazing);
• G. baylissiana (25-55 mm);
• G. brachyphylla var. bayeri (15-50 mm);
• G. bicolor var. liliputana (30-50 mm);
• G. minima (also about 30-50 mm);
• G. vlokii (50-90 mm here, so it's quite a stretch, literally and figuratively speaking),

but I'm open for corrections, suggestions and comments re. their availability and cultivation needs (I'd absolutely prefer the easy ones)!

All offers are also welcomed

I've got two liliputana plants and am short of space - so you're welcome to have one of them. I can send measurements/photos if you're interested.

I can probably find a little offset if you like that armstrongii Mat.
Here's a nice Gasteria which seems to be growing slowly, might be one for you to look for I bought it a few years ago from Terry Smale, when he gave a talk at our branch, which he kindly did almost every year. For newer members, this is one of the great advantages of going to branch meetings, the chance to buy good well grown plants, usually at a very reasonable price.

A good starting list, Mat. One of my favourite miniatures is the true bayeri (= small), 3 inch pot, ten years old:

rodsmith wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:23 pm I've got two liliputana plants and am short of space - so you're welcome to have one of them. I can send measurements/photos if you're interested.

Thank you for the kind offer! G. liliputana might be the only Gasteria I currently have, a little (<30 mm wide) offshoot came with a bunch of cuttings I swapped over Facebook some time ago. I will allow myself to message you with a photo asking for a confirmation or correction, and potentially discuss the details of your offer.

juster wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:31 pm I can probably find a little offset if you like that armstrongii Mat. [...]

How can I decline an offer of a plant that pushed me to actually write this thread?! Please make sure you're happy with removing the offshoot because the plant looks absolutely stunning clumped like that! I'd be more than happy even with a tiny bit that fits in a large letter box!

I will check your other suggestion as well, the leaves are a tad too pointy and might be too large to "fit the bill", but the colour and texture of them are stunning!

Edit: http://pza.sanbi.org/gasteria-ellaphieae says 20-50 mm, so definitely fits the bill!

Tony R wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:05 pm A good starting list, Mat. One of my favourite miniatures is the true bayeri (= small), 3 inch pot, ten years old: [...]

That's a perfect recommendation, I assume this is a synonym of the G. brachyphylla var. bayeri on my list? I couldn't find this species separately.

On a side note, do Gasterias have similarly long taproots as Haworthias, or they'll be okay in regular clay pots?

MatDz wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:18 pm

Tony R wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:05 pm A good starting list, Mat. One of my favourite miniatures is the true bayeri (= small), 3 inch pot, ten years old: [...]

That's a perfect recommendation, I assume this is a synonym of the G. brachyphylla var. bayeri on my list? I couldn't find this species separately.

On a side note, do Gasterias have similarly long taproots as Haworthias, or they'll be okay in regular clay pots?

Yes, = brachyphylla var. bayeri (I was just being lazy!)
Yes, some of these choice gasterias have chunky roots, rather like Haworthia truncata.
Use well-draining 'compost'. But I do use plastic pots.

Thank you Tony! I'm using deeper plastic pots for my Haworthias, so can use those if needed, but I thought about making a small arrangement off those Gasterias from the list. Maybe I should learn their watering needs first before doing so, but I water all my Haworthias at the same time and all seem to be doing okay, maybe some shrivel a bit more, but that's fine.

Hi Mat, I think I will be able to remove a small offset OK, but it will be small. If you e mail your address, and the correct spelling of your name (!), I will post it off next week. Enjoy!

juster wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:29 pm Hi Mat, I think I will be able to remove a small offset OK, but it will be small. If you e mail your address, and the correct spelling of your name (!), I will post it off next week. Enjoy!

You can only try with the name! Email on the way!

I have both the standard and short-leaved forms of armstrongii. The standard came from ebay and I'm pretty sure the short-leaved form came from Ian's Haworthia. There's none on his website currently but might be a good place to keep an eye on.