Micron Document
`:top
`*`!Lithops`!`* is a `F33f`_`[genus`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Genus]`_`f of `F33f`_`[succulent plants`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Succulent_plant]`_`f in the ice plant family, `F33f`_`[Aizoaceae`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Aizoaceae]`_`f. Members of the genus are native to `F33f`_`[southern Africa`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Southern_Africa]`_`f. They avoid being eaten by herbivores with `F33f`_`[their camouflage`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Camouflage_in_plants]`_`f as small stones, and are often known as `!pebble plants`! or `!living stones`!.

"Lithops" is both the genus name and the common name, and is singular as well as plural. The name is derived from the `F33f`_`[Ancient Greek`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Ancient_Greek]`_`f words λίθος (`*líthos`*) 'stone' and ὄψ (`*óps`*) 'face', referring to the stone-like appearance of the plants.

>>Contents

• `F0af`_`[Description`#description]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Distribution`#distribution]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Cultivation`#cultivation]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Cultivars`#cultivars]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Propagation`#propagation]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Conservation status`#conservation-status]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[History`#history]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Taxonomy`#taxonomy]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Gallery`#gallery]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[References`#references]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[Bibliography`#bibliography]`_`f
• `F0af`_`[External links`#external-links]`_`f

-─

>>Description

Individual `*Lithops`* consist of one or more pairs of bulbous, almost fused `F33f`_`[leaves`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Leaf]`_`f opposite each other and hardly any `F33f`_`[stem`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Plant_stem]`_`f. The slit between the leaves contains the `F33f`_`[meristem`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Meristem]`_`f and produces `F33f`_`[flowers`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Flower]`_`f and new leaves. The leaves of `*Lithops`* are mostly buried below the surface of the `F33f`_`[soil`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Soil]`_`f, with a partially or completely translucent top surface known as a `F33f`_`[leaf window`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Leaf_window]`_`f which allows light to enter the interior of the leaves for `F33f`_`[photosynthesis`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Photosynthesis]`_`f.`:cite-ref-2[`F5bf`_`[2`#cite-note-2]`_`f]

During winter a new leaf pair, or occasionally more than one, grows inside the existing fused leaf pair. In `F33f`_`[spring`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Spring_(season)]`_`f the old leaf pair parts to reveal the new leaves and the old leaves will then dry up. `*Lithops`* leaves may shrink and disappear below ground level during `F33f`_`[drought`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Drought]`_`f. Yellow or white flowers emerge from the fissure between the leaves after the new leaf pair fully matures, one per leaf pair. This is usually in autumn, but can be before the summer `F33f`_`[solstice`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Solstice]`_`f in `*`F33f`_`[L. pseudotruncatella`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_pseudotruncatella]`_`f`* and after the winter `F33f`_`[solstice`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Solstice]`_`f in `*`F33f`_`[L. optica`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_optica]`_`f`*. The flowers are often sweetly scented.

The most startling `F33f`_`[adaptation`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Adaptation]`_`f of `*Lithops`* is the colouring of the leaves. The leaves are `F33f`_`[fenestrated`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Leaf_window]`_`f, and the `F33f`_`[epidermal windows`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Leaf_window]`_`f are patterned in various shades of cream, grey, and brown, with darker windowed areas, dots, and red lines, according to species and local conditions. The markings function as remarkable `F33f`_`[camouflage for the plant`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Camouflage_in_plants]`_`f in its typically stony environment. As is typical of a window plant, the green tissue lines the inside of the leaves and is covered with `F33f`_`[translucent`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Transparency_and_translucency]`_`f tissue beneath the epidermal windows.

`*Lithops`* are obligate `F33f`_`[outcrossers`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Outcrossing]`_`f and require `F33f`_`[pollination`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Pollination]`_`f from a separate plant. Like most `F33f`_`[mesembs`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Mesemb]`_`f, Lithops fruit is a dry `F33f`_`[capsule`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Capsule_(fruit)]`_`f that opens when it becomes wet; some `F33f`_`[seeds`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Seed]`_`f may be ejected by falling raindrops, and the capsule re-closes when it dries out. Capsules may also sometimes detach and be distributed intact, or may disintegrate after several years.

>>Distribution

`*Lithops`* occur naturally across wide areas of `F33f`_`[Namibia`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Namibia]`_`f and `F33f`_`[South Africa`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=South_Africa]`_`f, as well as small bordering areas in `F33f`_`[Botswana`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Botswana]`_`f and possibly `F33f`_`[Angola`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Angola]`_`f, from sea level to high mountains. Nearly a thousand individual populations are documented, each covering just a small area of dry grassland, `F33f`_`[veld`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Veld]`_`f, or bare rocky ground. Different `*Lithops`* species are preferentially found in particular environments, usually restricted to a particular type of rock. `*Lithops`* have not `F33f`_`[naturalised`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Naturalisation_(biology)]`_`f outside this region.

`F33f`_`[Rainfall`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Rain]`_`f in `*Lithops`* habitats ranges from approximately 700 mm/year to near zero. Rainfall patterns range from exclusively summer rain to exclusively winter rain, with a few species relying almost entirely on dew formation for moisture. Temperatures are usually hot in summer and cool to cold in winter, but one species is found right at the coast with very moderate temperatures year round.

>>Cultivation

`*Lithops`* are popular `F33f`_`[house plants`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=House_plant]`_`f and many specialist `F33f`_`[succulent`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Succulent]`_`f growers maintain collections. `F33f`_`[Seeds`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Seed]`_`f and plants are widely available in shops and over the `F33f`_`[Internet`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Internet]`_`f. They are relatively easy to grow and care for if given sufficient sun and kept in well-draining soil.

Normal treatment in mild `F33f`_`[temperate`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Temperateness]`_`f `F33f`_`[climates`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Climate]`_`f is to keep them completely dry during winter, watering only when the old leaves have dried up and are replaced by a new leaf pair. Watering continues through autumn, when the plants flower, and then stops for winter. The best results are obtained in an environment with additional heat such as a greenhouse. In hotter `F33f`_`[climates`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Climate]`_`f, `*Lithops`* will have a summer dormancy when they should be kept mostly dry, and they may require some water in winter. In `F33f`_`[tropical`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Tropical_climate]`_`f climates, `*Lithops`* can be grown primarily in winter with a long summer dormancy. In all conditions, `*Lithops`* will be most active and need most water during autumn and most species will flower at approximately the same time.

`*Lithops`* thrive best in a coarse, well-drained substrate. Any soil that retains too much water will cause the plants to burst their skins as they over-expand. Plants grown in strong light will develop hard strongly coloured skins which are resistant to damage and rot, although persistent overwatering will still be fatal. Excessive heat will kill potted plants as they cannot cool themselves by `F33f`_`[transpiration`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Transpiration]`_`f and rely on staying buried in cool soil below the surface. Commercial growers mix a mild fungicide or weak strength horticultural sulfur into the plant's water to prevent rotting. Lithops are sensitive to watering during hot weather, which can cause the plants to rot; in habitat the plants are often dormant when the temperatures are high, doing most of their growing during the cool months of the year. Low light levels will make the plants highly susceptible to rotting and fungal infection.`:cite-ref-3[`F5bf`_`[3`#cite-note-3]`_`f]

In the `F33f`_`[United Kingdom`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=United_Kingdom]`_`f the following species have gained the `F33f`_`[Royal Horticultural Society`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Royal_Horticultural_Society]`_`f's `F33f`_`[Award of Garden Merit`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Award_of_Garden_Merit]`_`f:`:cite-ref-4[`F5bf`_`[4`#cite-note-4]`_`f]

• `*`F33f`_`[Lithops karasmontana`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_karasmontana]`_`f`*`:cite-ref-5[`F5bf`_`[5`#cite-note-5]`_`f]
• `*`F33f`_`[Lithops olivacea`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_olivacea]`_`f`*`:cite-ref-6[`F5bf`_`[6`#cite-note-6]`_`f]
• `*`F33f`_`[Lithops pseudotruncatella`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_pseudotruncatella]`_`f`*`:cite-ref-7[`F5bf`_`[7`#cite-note-7]`_`f]
• `*`F33f`_`[Lithops salicola`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_salicola]`_`f`*`:cite-ref-8[`F5bf`_`[8`#cite-note-8]`_`f]
• `*`F33f`_`[Lithops schwantesii`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_schwantesii]`_`f`*`:cite-ref-9[`F5bf`_`[9`#cite-note-9]`_`f]

>>Cultivars

Mr Keith Green was appointed `F33f`_`[International Cultivar Registration Authority`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=International_Cultivar_Registration_Authority]`_`f for `*Lithops`* in 2013, and recognises over 100 registered `F33f`_`[cultivars`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Cultivar]`_`f.`:cite-ref-scrapbook-10-0[`F5bf`_`[10`#cite-note-scrapbook-10]`_`f]

Since `*Lithops`* are mostly propagated by seed, cultivars require to be stabilised as seed strains. Most cultivars are either abnormally green or abnormally red plants, lacking most of the normal leaf pigments. Some were initially found as isolated unusual plants in habitat, but increasingly have arisen from cultivation, sometimes by deliberately selecting mildly-coloured plants to achieve intense colours for a cultivar. The term "aberrant colour form" (acf.) has been used for these unusually-coloured `*Lithops`*.`:cite-ref-cole2006-11-0[`F5bf`_`[11`#cite-note-cole2006-11]`_`f]

There are also so-called "pattern cultivars" of `*Lithops`*, seed strains which have been selectively-bred or stabilised from isolated unusual plants to have intensified or unusual leaf patterns, and sometimes unusual flowers. In some cases, these are `F33f`_`[hybrids`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Hybrid_(biology)]`_`f.`:cite-ref-scrapbook-10-1[`F5bf`_`[10`#cite-note-scrapbook-10]`_`f]

>>>Propagation

Propagation of `*Lithops`* is by `F33f`_`[seed`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Seed]`_`f or `F33f`_`[cuttings`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Cutting_(plant)]`_`f. Cuttings can only be used to produce new plants after a plant has naturally divided to form multiple heads, so most propagation is by seed. `*Lithops`* can readily be pollinated by hand if two separate `F33f`_`[clones`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Cloning]`_`f of a species flower at the same time, and seed will be `F33f`_`[ripe`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Ripening]`_`f about 9 months later. Seed is easy to `F33f`_`[germinate`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Germinate]`_`f, but the seedlings are small and vulnerable for the first year or two, and will not flower until at least two or three years old.

>>Conservation status

At least half of the species listed in the `F33f`_`[Red List of South African Plants`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Red_List_of_South_African_Plants]`_`f are classified as endangered or threatened for various reasons, including poaching for the succulent horticultural trade, habitat degradation, and decreased or restricted range due to urban and agriculture expansion.`:cite-ref-12[`F5bf`_`[12`#cite-note-12]`_`f]

`t
| Species | Conservation status |
|---|---|
| Lithops aucampiae | VU |
| Lithops coleorum | VU |
| Lithops dinteri | VU |
| Lithops divergens | NT |
| Lithops dorotheae | EN |
| Lithops geyeri | Rare |
| Lithops helmutii | VU |
| Lithops herrei | VU |
| Lithops lesliei subsp. burchellii | NT |
| Lithops lesliei subsp. lesliei | VU |
| Lithops meyeri | VU |
| Lithops naureeniae | VU |
| Lithops olivacea | VU |
| Lithops otzeniana | VU |
| Lithops salicola | NT |
| Lithops viridis | VU |
`t

>>History

The first scientific description of `*Lithops`* was made by `F33f`_`[botanist`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Botanist]`_`f and artist `F33f`_`[William John Burchell`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=William_John_Burchell]`_`f, explorer of `F33f`_`[South Africa`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=South_Africa]`_`f, although he called it `*`F33f`_`[Mesembryanthemum`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Mesembryanthemum]`_`f turbiniforme`*. In 1811, Burchell discovered a specimen when picking up a "curiously shaped pebble" from the ground.`:cite-ref-cole2006-11-1[`F5bf`_`[11`#cite-note-cole2006-11]`_`f] Unfortunately the documented physical description was not detailed enough to be sure which `*Lithops`* he had discovered and the name `*Lithops turbiniformis`* is no longer used, although for many years it was applied to what is now known as `*`F33f`_`[Lithops hookeri`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_hookeri]`_`f`*.

Several more `*Lithops`* were published as `*Mesembryanthemum`* `F33f`_`[species`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Species]`_`f until in 1922 `F33f`_`[N E Brown`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Nicholas_Edward_Brown]`_`f started to split up the overly large genus on the basis of the `F33f`_`[capsules`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Capsule_(fruit)]`_`f. The `F33f`_`[genus`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Genus]`_`f `*Lithops`* was created and dozens more species were published in the following decades. Brown, `F33f`_`[Gustav Schwantes`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Martin_Heinrich_Gustav_Schwantes]`_`f, `F33f`_`[Kurt Dinter`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Kurt_Dinter]`_`f, `F33f`_`[Gert Nel`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Gert_Nel]`_`f, and Louisa Bolus continued to document `*Lithops`* from across southern Africa, but there was little consensus on the relationships between them, or even which populations should be grouped as species. As recently as the 1950s, the genus remained rather unknown in cultivation and was not well understood `F33f`_`[taxonomically`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Taxonomically]`_`f.

In the 1950s, Desmond and Naureen Cole began to study `*Lithops`*. Together, the couple visited nearly all natural habitats of the different lithops populations and collected samples from approximately 400. They document and identify them, assigning a number, which is now known as the Cole number still used today all around the world. They studied and revised the genus, in 1988 publishing a definitive book `*(Lithops: Flowering Stones`*) describing the `F33f`_`[species`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Species]`_`f, `F33f`_`[subspecies`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Subspecies]`_`f, and `F33f`_`[varieties`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Variety_(botany)]`_`f which have been accepted ever since.

Because their camouflage is so effective, new species continue to be discovered. Recent discoveries include `*`F33f`_`[L. coleorum`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_coleorum]`_`f`* in 1994, `*`F33f`_`[L. hermetica`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_hermetica]`_`f`* in 2000, and `*`F33f`_`[L. amicorum`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lithops_amicorum]`_`f`* in 2006.`:cite-ref-13[`F5bf`_`[13`#cite-note-13]`_`f]

>>Taxonomy

Many of the species listed have named `F33f`_`[subspecies`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Subspecies]`_`f or `F33f`_`[varieties`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Variety_(botany)]`_`f and some have many regional `F33f`_`[forms`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Form_(botany)]`_`f identified by old names or habitat locations. Identification of species is primarily by flower colour and leaf patterns. The species list here follows Cole & Cole (2006).`:cite-ref-cole2006-11-2[`F5bf`_`[11`#cite-note-cole2006-11]`_`f]

`t
| Specific epithet | Meaning |
|---|---|
| amicorum [ 15 ] | of the friends |
| aucampiae | named after Juanita Aucamp |
| bromfieldii | named after H. Bromfield |
| coleorum | named after Desmond & Naureen Cole |
| comptonii | named after Prof. Robert Harold Compton |
| dinteri | named after Moritz Kurt Dinter |
| divergens | divergent lobes |
| dorotheae | named after Dorothea Huyssteen |
| francisci | named after Frantz de Laet |
| fulviceps | tawny head |
| gesineae | named after Gesine de Boer |
| geyeri | named after Albertus Geyer |
| gracilidelineata | thin lined |
| hallii | named after Harry Hall |
| helmutii | named after Helmut Meyer |
| hermetica | named after the 'hermetically sealed' location, Sperrgebiet |
| herrei | named after Adolar 'Hans' Herre |
| hookeri | named after Sir Joseph Hooker |
| julii | named after Julius Derenberg |
| karasmontana | named after the Great Karas Mountains |
| lesliei | named after T. N. Leslie |
| localis | of a place |
| marmorata | marbled |
| meyeri | named after Rev. Gottlieb Meyer |
| naureeniae | named after Naureen Cole |
| olivacea | olive-green |
| optica | eye-like |
| otzeniana | named after M. Otzen |
| pseudotruncatella | had been confused with Conophytum truncatum |
| ruschiorum | named after Rusch family |
| salicola | salt-dweller |
| schwantesii | named after Gustav Schwantes |
| vallis-mariae | named after the location Mariental (Latinised) |
| verruculosa | warty |
| villetii | named after C. T. Villet |
| viridis | green |
| werneri | named after Werner Triebner |
`t

Although the species, subspecies, and varieties published by Cole & Cole`:cite-ref-cole2006-11-3[`F5bf`_`[11`#cite-note-cole2006-11]`_`f] largely remain accepted and in widespread use,`:cite-ref-hartmann2001-14-1[`F5bf`_`[14`#cite-note-hartmann2001-14]`_`f] some variations have been published by other authors. Some published changes since 2006 include:

• reducing `*L. amicorum`* to a subspecies of `*L. karasmontana`*; combining `*L. karasmontana`* ssp. `*bella`* and ssp. `*eberlanzii`* into one subspecies; and combining `*L. herrei`* with `*L. optica`*.`:cite-ref-16[`F5bf`_`[16`#cite-note-16]`_`f]
• raising `*L. dendritica`* and `*L. eberlanzii`* to species level and dropping all the separate varieties of `*L. karasmontana`*.`:cite-ref-17[`F5bf`_`[17`#cite-note-17]`_`f]
• raising `*L. bella`*, `*L. burchellii`*, `*L. euniceae`*, and `*L. glaudinae`* to species level; combining `*L. dorotheae`* and `*L schwantesii`* var. `*marthae`* under `*L. dinteri`*; combining `*L. francisci`*, `*L. gesinae`*, and `*L. hermetica`*; combining `*L. geyeri`* under `*L. herrei`*; dropping separate subspecies of `*L. julii`* and `*L. gracilidelineata`*; splitting ssp. `*archerae`*, `*dendritica`* and `*groendrayensis`* from `*L. pseudotruncatella`* as `*L. dendritica`*; and dropping separate varieties under `*L. villetii`*.`:cite-ref-18[`F5bf`_`[18`#cite-note-18]`_`f]

One study of `F33f`_`[non-coding`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Non-coding_DNA]`_`f `F33f`_`[chloroplast DNA`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Chloroplast_DNA]`_`f (trnS-trnG intergenic spacer), nuclear ribosomal `F33f`_`[internal transcribed spacer`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Internal_transcribed_spacer]`_`f (nrITS) sequences and `F33f`_`[AFLP`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Amplified_fragment_length_polymorphism]`_`f data found that Lithops was not `F33f`_`[monophyletic`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Monophyletic]`_`f since `*`F33f`_`[Dinteranthus`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Dinteranthus]`_`f`*, `*`F33f`_`[Schwantesia`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Schwantesia]`_`f`*, and `*`F33f`_`[Lapidaria`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Lapidaria_(plant)]`_`f`* were involved. It identified 9 clades which did not closely frame the accepted 37 species.`:cite-ref-19[`F5bf`_`[19`#cite-note-19]`_`f]

>>Gallery

>>References

`:cite-note-grin-1`!1.`! "Genus: `*Lithops`* N. E. Br". `*Germplasm Resources Information Network`*. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
`:cite-note-2`!2.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-2]`_`f Best of Both Worlds: Simultaneous High-Light and Shade-Tolerance Adaptations within Individual Leaves of the Living Stone Lithops aucampiae
`:cite-note-3`!3.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-3]`_`f `:citerefed-storms1986`aEd Storms (1986). `*The New Growing the Mesembs`*. Storms.
`:cite-note-4`!4.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-4]`_`f "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 61. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-5`!5.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-5]`_`f "RHS Plantfinder - `*Lithops karasmontana`*". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-6`!6.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-6]`_`f "RHS Plantfinder - `*Lithops olivacea`*". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-7`!7.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-7]`_`f "RHS Plantfinder - `*Lithops pseudotruncatella`*". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-8`!8.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-8]`_`f "RHS Plantfinder - `*Lithops salicola`*". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-9`!9.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-9]`_`f "RHS Plantfinder - `*Lithops schwantesii`*". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
`:cite-note-scrapbook-10`!10.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-scrapbook-10-0]`_`f `:citerefkeith-green`aKeith Green. "The International Cultivar Registration Authority Register and Checklist for the genus Lithops N.E.Br". `*Scrapbooklithops`*. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
`:cite-note-cole2006-11`!11.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-cole2006-11-0]`_`f `:citerefcolecole2005`aCole, Desmond; Cole, Naureen (2005). `*Lithops—Flowering Stones`*. Cactus & Co. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 88-900511-7-5.
`:cite-note-12`!12.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-12]`_`f "Species list: Lithops | Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". `*redlist.sanbi.org`*. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
`:cite-note-13`!13.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-13]`_`f `:citerefellerruess1982`aEller, Benno M.; Ruess, Beatrice (1982). "Water relations of Lithops plants embedded into the soil and exposed to free air". `*Physiologia Plantarum`*. `!55`! (3): 329–334. `F33f`_`[doi`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Doi_(identifier)]`_`f:10.1111/j.1399-3054.1982.tb00300.x. `F33f`_`[ISSN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISSN_(identifier)]`_`f 0031-9317.
`:cite-note-hartmann2001-14`!14.`! `:citerefhartmann-h-e-k-2001`aHartmann, H.E.K., ed. (2001). `*Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae F-Z`*. Springer. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 3-540-41723-0.
`:cite-note-15`!2.`! `:citerefcole2006`aCole, Desmond (2006). "Cactus&Co Journal". `*Cactus&Co`*. `!X(1)`!: 57–59.
`:cite-note-16`!16.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-16]`_`f `:citerefarakakichristinnyffelerlendel2011`aArakaki, Mónica; Christin, Pascal-Antoine; Nyffeler, Reto; Lendel, Anita; Eggli, Urs; Ogburn, R. Matthew; Spriggs, Elizabeth; Moore, Michael J.; Edwards, Erika J. (2011). "Contemporaneous and recent radiations of the world's major succulent plant lineages". `*Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences`*. `!108`! (20): 8379–8384. `F33f`_`[Bibcode`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Bibcode_(identifier)]`_`f:2011PNAS..108.8379A. `F33f`_`[doi`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Doi_(identifier)]`_`f:10.1073/pnas.1100628108. `F33f`_`[PMC`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=PMC_(identifier)]`_`f 3100969. `F33f`_`[PMID`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=PMID_(identifier)]`_`f 21536881.
`:cite-note-17`!17.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-17]`_`f `:citerefearl-young2020`aEarlé, Roy A.; Young, Andrew J. (2020). "The form, structure and size of Lithops N.E.Br. Seeds and the taxonomic implications". `*Bradleya`*. `!2020`! (38): 195. `F33f`_`[doi`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Doi_(identifier)]`_`f:10.25223/brad.n38.2020.a20. `F33f`_`[S2CID`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=S2CID_(identifier)]`_`f 220072147.
`:cite-note-18`!18.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-18]`_`f `:citerefh-jainta2019`aH Jainta (2019). "Ein neuer taxonomischer Ansatz für die Gattung Lithops N.E.Br". `*Avonia`*. `!37`! (1).
`:cite-note-19`!19.`! `F0af`_`[↑`#cite-ref-19]`_`f `:citerefkellnerritzschlittenhardthellwig2011`aKellner, A.; Ritz, C. M.; Schlittenhardt, P.; Hellwig, F. H. (2011). "Genetic differentiation in the genus Lithops L. (Ruschioideae, Aizoaceae) reveals a high level of convergent evolution and reflects geographic distribution". `*Plant Biology`*. `!13`! (2): 368–380. `F33f`_`[Bibcode`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Bibcode_(identifier)]`_`f:2011PlBio..13..368K. `F33f`_`[doi`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=Doi_(identifier)]`_`f:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2010.00354.x. `F33f`_`[PMID`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=PMID_(identifier)]`_`f 21309984.

>>Bibliography

• Jainta, Harald (2017). `*Wild Lithops`*. Klaus Hess Verlag. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 978-3-933117-93-9.
• Cole, Desmond T (1988). `*Lithops—Flowering Stones`*. Acorn Books. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 0-620-09678-0.
• Cole, Desmond; Cole, Naureen (2005). `*Lithops—Flowering Stones`*. Cactus & Co. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 88-900511-7-5.
• Hammer, Steven (1999). `*Lithops: Treasures of the Veld`*. BCCS. `F33f`_`[ISBN`:/page/wikibook/entry.mu`zim=wikipedia_en_all_nopic_2025-08.zim|entry_path=ISBN_(identifier)]`_`f 0-902099-64-7.
• Schwantes, Gustav (1957). `*Flowering Stones and Mid-day Flowers`*. London: Ernst Benn.`B100`F9d9{{cite book}}`f`b: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

>>External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to

Lithops

.

Wikispecies

has information related to

Lithops

.

• Lithops info from the BBC (UK)
• A guide to the cultivation of Lithops
• Scrapbooklithops (General info & habitat photographs)

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