Lithops Bowl Assorted

Lithops are known by various names such as living stones, stone plants (Eng.), beeskloutjies, and perdeklou (Afr.). They are part of the Aizoaceae Family and derived their Genus name form lithos meaning “rock” and opsis meaning “similar to”. They are indigenous to Southern Africa where they are widespread. They are mostly found in the western dry areas of South Africa and sometimes more inland near Johannesburg and in the Vrystaat. Lastly, they can also be found in Namibia. The native landscape is typically rocky and sandy with little humidity and Autumn rainfalls.

Lithops are described as mimicry plant as they look like pebbles. They have no true stem and stay close to the ground which confuses grazing animals and help them to conserve moisture. These plants have two leaves fused together forming a cleft in the middle. These leave travel down in a carrot like structure to eventually form a deep tap root system.

In natural conditions Lithops bloom during autumn (March to May) with a flower bud form in between the two main leaves. Flowers have a short stem and only open during sunny midday conditions. Flower colours are mostly white and yellow and rarely orange. Small seeds are produced in mid-summer in 5-6 segmented capsules that only open when wet (Hydrochastic), allowing it to be spread by raindrops. Plants reach flowering maturity around 3 years of age.

Extremely tolerant to temperature, Lithops can handle heat up to 42°C and cold of -5°C. They can thrive in a wide variety of environments from stony landscapes to even grasslands. In the wild they can live up to 25 years and under cultivated conditions up to 50 years. Furthermore, they have the ability to become semi-subterranean during extremely harsh conditions allowing them to be protected from the elements.

Plant them in full sun with well-draining soil like succulent mix. They can be put in a windowsill or in partial shade as long as they receive 4-5 hours of sun. Only fertilize with diluted fertilizer during flowering season once or twice. Propagation can be done by seeds or by cuttings. During spring new leaves start to feed of the old leaves causing the old leaves to wither up and die.

Water Requirements

One of the most common mistakes done for lithops care is overwatering. They live in very dry climates thus to much water can quickly cause root rot and death. For seedlings only, water is giving four times a week during hot temperatures and once a week during winter. For more mature plant frequent watering is much less a necessity since they are great in storing water.

• Water only once every second week during at the end of summer.
• Increase watering slightly during flowering.
• Do not water during winter to mid-spring
• If the plant starts to shrink or wrinkle, water the plant.
• When giving water, drench the soil thoroughly as they have deep tap roots.