LIVING STONE PLANTS (Lithops species)

Four Lithops plants growing among stones in a container

Living stone plants (Lithops species) are members of the mesembryanthemum family. They are natives of South Africa and Namibia, where they grow among stones in the dry upland regions or along the edges of river courses that are dry for most of the year. They are succulents, which store water in their fleshy leaves, but are not related to cacti. They

Lithops species are small plants (often only 2-3 cm diameter) and consist of a single pair of fleshy leaves. Often only the tops of the leaves are exposed, and they are patterned for camouflage, presumably to prevent grazing by animals. The rest of each leaf is below ground. The plants flower at the end of the growing season. Then a new pair of leaves is formed and these new leaves expand by withdrawing the water and nutrients from the old leaves, which shrink as the new leaves expand. When a plant has accumulated sufficient nutrient reserves it may form two new pairs of leaves, instead of one. In this way the plants eventually form clusters.

Three Lithops plants in different stages of producing new leaves within the older leaves, which split and shrink as their nutrients and water are transferred to the new growth.

The different species and varieties of Lithops have different colours and patterns on the leaves, which camouflage them among the stones. For many of the Lithops species there are several commercially available "varieties" with different colours and markings.

On separate pages you can find:

• Images of different Lithops species

• Lithops flowers

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