My fascination with Lithops a.k.a “living stones” began during the long circuit breaker period in Singapore and (I started weighing more than our refrigerator) succulents are taking over our social media feeds once again. While I thought succulents are always a pretty sight to have indoors, I never really was into collecting these lovely plants because of the attention needed to devote to their care. Plus, I can’t be the reason they’d eventually die 🙂
But hey, the long stay at home period afforded me so much time to finally give the idea a whirl. The very first succulents I collected were the Anacampseros “Sunrise” Rufescens that are too gorgeous to ignore. I was looking into collecting the rare ones and that’s when I stumbled unto Lithops. Ahh Lithops…too cute for words, it makes me cry. Tiny living stones yet they make great statement pieces when grouped together. I have bought my Lithops from different local growers and collectors in Singapore (adults, babies and seeds). I am also planning to buy directly from Africa and Korea once the dust settles.
Before I share with you my experiences of growing Lithops from seeds and its results, let me first share what I understand so far based on my readings online and what has worked for my collection.
My Tiny Lithops Wonderland (all photos are mine)
Lithops are succulents native to Southern Africa. The scientific name Lithops is both singular and plural. It stems from lithos (rock) and opsis (similar to).
They are usually found in the driest regions with little to no rain. They have adapted to these environments so well that their ability to conserve water through their leaves is superb. The entire plant is devoted to this function.
In their natural habitat, only the very top part of Lithops is visible above the ground and gets sunlight. The flat, top surface have cells that act as windows to allow light to penetrate deep into the plant and reach more chlorophyll.
