These are mirabilis “meiringii” from east of Bonnievale. There must be something significant in the similarity to H. herbacea? Bear in mind we are dealing with many populations strung out over the landscape in what Essie and I recognise as continuities. But, mirabilis is not continuous with herbacea. Flower and flowering time as well as geographical location and continuity with many other populations show “mirabiloid”.

A little further east = still “meiringii”

… some more from a bit further east before the more traditional fewer leaved forms occur …

This is what I wanted to post – more meiringii from almost at Bonnievale. Curiously this is also the only place in the Robertson Karoo where Aloe glauca occurs. It is salutory to compare the taxonomy of Aloe vs. Haworthia because the scales are quite different. However, A. glauca also has a range of variants that never seem to have been examined. I can’t imagine what the classification of either will look like after another 50 years of this limited one-man-band style of taxonomy. Meiringii does seem to have some degree of independence but just how much and guessed at by whom? It diffuses to a spineless spotted form westward, which in turn diffuses to three different versions following compass direction.