You call us "living stones," and from your perspective, that is an accurate description. We are Lithops, native to the arid, sun-scorched landscapes of southern Africa. Our unique form is not a whimsical choice but a masterpiece of evolutionary adaptation. Our above-ground body consists of a pair of fused, succulent leaves. This low, rounded shape minimizes the surface area exposed to the dehydrating sun and wind. Our mottled grey, green, and brown coloration is a form of mimicry, helping us blend in with the surrounding pebbles to avoid the attention of thirsty herbivores. We are designed for one primary purpose: survival in an environment where water is a rare and precious commodity.
To care for us successfully, you must understand our natural cycle, which is dictated not by the calendar months you use, but by the seasons of rain and drought we evolved with. In late summer or autumn, we receive our "signal" – a drop in temperature, perhaps a seasonal rain. This is when we flower, sending a daisy-like bloom up from the cleft between our leaves. After flowering, we enter our growth phase. A new pair of leaves begins to develop inside the old one, drawing moisture and nutrients from them. Throughout the winter, you will notice the old leaves gradually wrinkling and shriveling as the new body grows within. By spring, the old leaves will have become a dry, papery sheath, and the new, plump leaves will emerge. We are then relatively dormant through the hot, dry summer, conserving our resources.
More of our kind perish from over-watering than from any other cause. You must learn to read our body language. When we are full of water, our leaves are firm and may even feel slightly hard. When we need water, the tops of our leaves will begin to pucker or sink inwards, showing horizontal wrinkles. This is your cue. Water us thoroughly, then allow the soil to become completely dry before even considering watering again. Crucially, you must respect our dormant periods. Do not water us during the height of summer when we are resting, and absolutely do not water us while we are splitting in spring. Watering during the split can cause the old leaves to remain engorged, trapping the new leaves inside and leading to rot, which is fatal.
We demand a home that mimics our native, rocky ground. Standard potting soil is a death sentence for us; it retains far too much moisture around our sensitive root system. You must provide us with a very gritty, fast-draining mix. A good recipe is a small amount of potting soil (no more than 20-30%) mixed with a large quantity of inorganic materials like coarse sand, perlite, or small pumice. Our pot must have a drainage hole. There is no compromise on this. A pot without a hole is a bathtub, and we will drown. A shallow, wide pot is often better than a deep one, as our root systems are not extensive.
We are children of the sun. To stay compact and healthy, we require several hours of direct sunlight each day. A south-facing window is ideal for us indoors. Without sufficient light, we will begin to etiolate, or stretch, becoming tall and misshapen as we reach for the light, which weakens our structure. We enjoy warmth but can tolerate a range of temperatures as long as we are kept dry. The one thing we cannot tolerate is frost. If you live in a cold climate, we must be kept indoors where it is warm during the winter.
