Living Stones - Lithops

Lithops julii


Lithops dish garden




Lithops optica v. rubra
From Wikipedia: Lithops is a genus of succulent plants native to Africa, mainly in Namibia and South Africa. It is especially characteristic of the Karoo region at Africa's southern tip.

"Lithos" means "stone" and "opsis" means "face" in Ancient Greek; therefore, "Lithops" means "stone-face". This is a very good description of these plants, which avoid being eaten by blending in with surrounding pebbles (camouflage).

They are often known as pebble plants or living stones. First description of lithops was made by William John Burchell, explorer of South Africa, botanist and artist, who in 1811 accidentally found a specimen when picking up from the ground a "colorful pebble".

Our species, Lithops optica, was first collected by Dr Rudolph Marloth in 1909 near Lüderitz in Namibia.

It is endemic to the Lüderitz district of the southern Namib Desert where it grows on the coastal plains. Its habitat is very sandy and it is often found growing among rocks and gravel where it is very difficult to spot. Its climate is cool due to the cold Atlantic Ocean and frequent fog, and rainfall is mainly during the winter, ranging between 20-50 mm per annum.

Related Post: Amazing Lithops Collection


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