Lithops are succulent plants with a variety of more than thirty species. They come from the stony and sandy deserts of Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. Lithops are called living stones. At home, these indoor flowers should be planted in groups.
Important! Singularly planted Lithops poorly take root and do not bloom.Features of live stones:
- These plants can not grow on the soil, which includes limestone;
- They easily tolerate air temperatures of around 50 ° C;
- Lithops can not grow vegetatively, but it is possible the division of the pair of leaves along in half;
- The root system in an adult plant is partially removed during transplantation. To its former size, it is able to grow in just two days;
- Transplantation should be carried out during the period of active growth;
- Clay and red brick in crushed form must be present in the substrate for planting;
- The extracted fruit matures for about four months in a dry and dark place;
- Soak the seeds before planting up to six hours, it is not necessary to dry after soaking;
- At home, there are 12 of the most popular types of Lithops.
Lithops Aukampiae
Lithops called Aukamp is a kind of living stone of the family of Aizovs.
Did you know? Aukamp is named after the girl Juanita Aukamp. In the early 30s of the twentieth century, her father maintained a farm near Postmasburg, which gave her the opportunity to collect and explore plants over a large area.Lithop's color Aukamp is in blue or brown tones, with yellow flowering, the flower reaches 4 cm in diameter. The leaves grow about 3 cm wide. The top of the leaf is covered with a mesh pattern of dark color. The area of distribution of this species is southern Africa, a region of the Cape Province, to the north of the Orange River.
Lithops brownish (Lithops Fulviceps)
Lithops brownish has a description of a plant with leaves of green or reddish-brown color. A pattern in the form of green or brown spots is placed on the top of the leaves. Yellow blooms, up to 3 cm in diameter, flower petals long, narrow and drooping down.
The group of succulent plants also includes: agave, aihrizone, aloe, zamiokulkas, kalanchoe pinnate, nolina, fatty meat, havortia, hatiora, epiphyllum.
Lithops pin-shaped (Lithops turbiniformis)
A small plant has the appearance of a pair of leaves fused together, which are painted in red-brown color. Young Lithops of this species have one pair of leaves, while the old ones develop lateral shoots. Flowering is yellow, up to 4 cm in diameter. This species blooms in mid-September - October.
Important! You should carefully monitor the watering, if the roots of the plant attacks rot, then it will be impossible to save the plant.
Lithops beautiful (Lithops bella)
Lithops beautiful is a kind of living stones, which reaches a height of 3 cm and about 3 cm in diameter. The leaves have a yellowish-brown color with specks of dark color on the surface. White blossoms, sometimes with a pronounced odor, reaches 2.5 - 3 cm in diameter. Blossoms in September.
Lithops Leslie (Lithops Lesliei)
Leslie in height can grow up to 5 cm. The leaves have a grayish color with light brown spots on top. Large yellow flowers have a pleasant aroma and during flowering almost completely cover the plant. When the flowers wither, the plant itself shrivels, and young leaves appear from the notch where the flower was.
Lithops, false truncated (Lithops pseudotruncatella)
Lithops, false truncated, is a species that forms several large plants with a height of 4 cm and a diameter of up to 3 cm, have a flat surface of leaves with a grayish, brownish or pinkish color, with specks darker than the main color. Blooms large yellow, with a golden hue, buds.
Lithops marble (Lithops marmorata)
Lithops Marble grows small. In the diameter of a pair of leaves reaches no more than 2 cm. This species received its beautiful name for its characteristic marble color with a relief overflow of a light olive color into a darker emerald green color on the leaf surface, forming a "marble" pattern. Blossoms marble Lithops white flowers with a yellow center. Flowers of large size, from 3 to 5 cm, during flowering close the plant with them, have a pleasant delicate smell.
Lithops Olive Green (Lithops olivaceae)
Lithops olive-green grows in diameter up to 2 cm, leaf color is consonant with the name - olive-green, sometimes has a brown tint. Like other species, the plant has dark specks on the top of the leaves, which in the center form one large spot. Blossom has a yellow color.
To create a cozy atmosphere in the house can be planted: Dieffenbachia, monstera, Spathiphyllum, violet, Benjamin Ficus, chlorophytum.
Lithops Optics (Lithops Optica)
A living stone called optics is a very bright and beautiful view of succulent. The size of leaves in diameter is not more than 3 cm, the color of leaves has crimson and claret shades. The plant blooms with white small flowers, up to 1 cm in diameter, have a yellow center.
Lithops divided (Lithops divergens)
Lithops divided got its name due to the fact that a pair of leaves between each other has a distance greater than that of other species. It grows indoor flower divided to 3 cm in diameter, the color has a muted-green, with large gray specks on the surface. Flowers reach a fairly large size - up to 5 cm in diameter. Blossom color - yellow.
Lithops Soleros (Lithops salicola)
Living stone salt grows small in size - up to 2.5 cm in height. The leaves have a grayish color, with dark spots of olive color above. Small flowers appear from a small gap between the leaves and have a white color.
Lithops mix (MIX)
Lithops mix - a mixture of living stones, which includes at least three species of this plant. Plants grow from 2 to 5 cm, depending on the species. Leaf color can also have color shades from gray to green or from red-brown to crimson-burgundy. Flowers also vary in color: may be white, yellow or yellow-orange. The sizes of flowers are different: from 1 to 4 and even 5 cm. Mix is not a separate type of plant. It is obtained by mixing different types for sale.
This article describes in detail what Lithops are and what types they are. Living stones will become an unusual decoration of your home and will not remain without attention and enthusiastic responses. Lithops are quite capricious, but with proper care and maintenance at home, they will delight you with their flowering for many years.
