[2] As of May 2024[update], Plants of the World Online accepted five varieties:[3] The flowers typically appear in November and December.

Phylogenetic studies demonstrated that subgenus Hexangulares was actually relatively unrelated to other haworthias and so it was moved to the new genus Haworthiopsis.

[5][6] This species extends across the southern part of South Africa in the arid Little Karoo region.

Here it grows on both sides of the border between the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, from Ladismith in the West to Baviaanskloof in the East.

Within this range, it typically grows in very well-drained sandy soil, usually under a bush or rocks which serve as partial protection from the sun.