Haworthiopsis limifolia var. limifolia is a variable species that grows on rocky shale outcrops among open grass in Mpumalanga, northern KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Mozambique. The basal rosette of up to 20 triangular or lanceolate leaves becomes about 12 cm in diameter. The plant forms clumps via stolons.

Undulating callosities or transverse rows of whitish tubercles, more or less joined to each other, are spaced on both leaf surfaces. The upper leaf surface is flat or concave, the lower one convex and sometimes keeled, the margins upturned and rough. Leaves become up to 6 mm thick. Leaf colour is dark green, sometimes yellow or orange towards their tips with seasonal stress as in the photo.

The inflorescence is up to 35 cm tall with membranous, sterile bracts lower down and floral bracts about 3 mm long. Straight white tubular flowers nod from pedicels up to 6 mm long. The narrow corolla tubes have grey-brown or green keels in the centre of the white segments. The stamens do not protrude from the two-lipped corolla tube. Flowers appear in the first half of summer (Scott, 1985).