Contents: --------- List of figures ................................................................... ix Foreword by Gordon D. Rowley, President: British Cactus and Succulent Society ..... 1 1 Introduction .................................................................... 3 Preamble ........................................................................ 3 How it all began ................................................................ 7 Acknowledgements ................................................................ 8 Abbreviations, terms, symbols and measures ...................................... 10 2 Morphology and Annual Cycle ..................................................... 13 General features ................................................................ 13 Annual cycle .................................................................... 13 Size of plant ................................................................... 14 Age of Lithops plant ............................................................ 15 Shape of plant .................................................................. 16 Upper profile ................................................................... 16 Facial shape .................................................................... 17 Fissure and cleft ............................................................... 17 Facial features ................................................................. 19 Tanniniferous idioblasts ........................................................ 20 Flowers ......................................................................... 21 Seeds capsules .................................................................. 22 The miracle of the seed capsule ................................................. 24 Seeds and seed structure ........................................................ 24 3 Names and Nomenclature .......................................................... 27 Vernacular names ................................................................ 27 Scientific (Latin) and authors' names ........................................... 27 Origins of scientific names ..................................................... 30 Authors of Lithops taxa ......................................................... 31 4 Classification .................................................................. 33 Past traditions ................................................................. 33 Proposed perspectives ........................................................... 35 Application of criteria ......................................................... 37 Future researches ............................................................... 38 The Problem of *Lithops turbiniformis ........................................... 38 The Problem of *Lithops localis ................................................. 41 The Problem of Lithops steineckeana ............................................. 43 The Problem of the Ywc group .................................................... 44 Map 1 Distribution of Lithops N.E. Brown ......................................... 46 5 Lithops in Habitat .............................................................. 47 Distribution .................................................................... 47 Specific and overlapping ranges ................................................. 48 Size and density of colonies .................................................... 49 Habitats ........................................................................ 50 Variation in Lithops ............................................................ 51 Mimicry ......................................................................... 53 Colour photographs of Lithops in habitat ........................................ 55 Evolutionary convergence ........................................................ 63 Dispersal mechanisms ............................................................ 64 Pollinators ..................................................................... 65 Predators ....................................................................... 65 Hybrids, artificial and natural ................................................. 69 Natural freaks and curiosities .................................................. 71 6 Lithops in Cultivation .......................................................... 73 General culture ................................................................. 73 Soil mixes ...................................................................... 73 Watering ........................................................................ 74 Pests and diseases .............................................................. 74 Growing Lithops from seed ....................................................... 75 Transplanting ................................................................... 78 Flowers and flowering times ..................................................... 79 Abnormalities and aberrations ................................................... 80 Colour-aberrant cultivars ....................................................... 83 7 Descriptive Settings ............................................................ 86 Terminology ..................................................................... 86 The illustrations ............................................................... 91 Distribution maps ............................................................... 92 Map 2 Northern and central SWA/Namibia ........................................... 93 Map 3 Southern SWA/Namibia, NW Cape .............................................. 95 Map 4 Central and northern Cape .................................................. 96 Map 5 NE Cape, OFS and Transvaal ................................................. 97 Map 6 SW and S Cape .............................................................. 98 Description of the Taxa ........................................................... 99 Lithops aucampiae ................................................................. 101 subsp. aucampiae var. aucampiae .................................................. 101 cv. Betty's Beryl ................................................................ 101 cv. Storms's Snowcap ............................................................. 102 var. koelemanii .................................................................. 102 subsp. euniceae var. euniceae .................................................... 103 var. fluminalis .................................................................. 104 Lithops bromfieldii ............................................................... 105 var. bromfieldii ................................................................. 105 var. glaudinae ................................................................... 106 var. insularis ................................................................... 107 cv. Sulphurea .................................................................... 108 var. mennellii ................................................................... 108 Lithops comptonii ................................................................. 110 var. comptonii ................................................................... 110 var. weberi ...................................................................... 111 Lithops dinteri ................................................................... 112 subsp. dinteri var. dinteri ...................................................... 112 cv. Dintergreen .................................................................. 113 var. brevis ...................................................................... 113 subsp. frederici ................................................................. 114 subsp. multipunctata ............................................................. 115 Lithops divergens ................................................................. 117 var. divergens ................................................................... 117 var. amethystina ................................................................. 118 Lithops dorotheae ................................................................. 119 Lithops francisci ................................................................. 120 Lithops fulviceps ................................................................. 121 var. fulviceps ................................................................... 121 cv. Aurea ........................................................................ 122 var. lactinea .................................................................... 123 Lithops gesineae .................................................................. 124 var. gesineae .................................................................... 124 var. annae ....................................................................... 125 Lithops geyeri .................................................................... 126 Lithops gracilidelineata .......................................................... 128 subsp. gracilidelineata var. gracilidelineata .................................... 128 cv. Ernst's Witkop ............................................................... 129 var. waldroniae .................................................................. 130 cv. Fritz's White Lady ........................................................... 130 subsp. brandbergensis ............................................................ 131 Lithops hallii .................................................................... 132 var. hallii ...................................................................... 132 var. ochracea .................................................................... 133 cv. Green Soapstone .............................................................. 134 Lithops helmutii .................................................................. 135 Lithops herrei .................................................................... 136 Lithops hookeri ................................................................... 138 var. hookeri ..................................................................... 138 var. dabneri ..................................................................... 139 var. elephina .................................................................... 140 var. lutea ....................................................................... 141 var. marginata ................................................................... 142 var. subfenestrata ............................................................... 144 var. susannae .................................................................... 145 Lithops julii ..................................................................... 146 subsp. julii ..................................................................... 146 cv. Peppermint Crème ............................................................. 148 subsp. fulleri ................................................................... 148 var. fulleri ..................................................................... 148 cv. Fullergreen .................................................................. 150 var. brunnea ..................................................................... 150 var. rouxii ...................................................................... 151 Lithops karasmontana .............................................................. 152 subsp. karasmontana .............................................................. 152 var. karasmontana ................................................................ 152 var. aiaisensis .................................................................. 154 var. lericheana .................................................................. 155 var. tischeri .................................................................... 156 subsp. bella ..................................................................... 157 subsp. eberlanzii ................................................................ 158 cv. Avocado Cream ................................................................ 160 Lithops lesliei ................................................................... 161 subsp. lesliei ................................................................... 161 var. lesliei ..................................................................... 161 cv. Albiflora .................................................................... 163 cv. Albinica ..................................................................... 163 cv. Storms's Albinigold .......................................................... 163 var. hornii ...................................................................... 163 cv. Greenhorn .................................................................... 164 var. mariae ...................................................................... 165 var. minor ....................................................................... 166 cv. Witblom ...................................................................... 166 var. rubrobrunnea ................................................................ 167 var. venteri ..................................................................... 167 subsp. burchellii ................................................................ 168 Lithops marmorata ................................................................. 170 var. marmorata ................................................................... 170 var. elisae ...................................................................... 171 Lithops meyeri .................................................................... 172 cv. Hammeruby .................................................................... 173 Lithops naureeniae ................................................................ 174 Lithops olivacea .................................................................. 175 var. olivacea .................................................................... 175 var. nebrownii ................................................................... 176 Lithops optica .................................................................... 177 cv. Rubra ........................................................................ 178 Lithops otzeniana ................................................................. 179 cv. Aquamarine ................................................................... 180 Lithops pseudotruncatella ......................................................... 181 subsp. pseudotruncatella ......................................................... 181 var. pseudotruncatella ........................................................... 181 cv. Albiflora .................................................................... 182 var. elisabethiae ................................................................ 183 var. riehmerae ................................................................... 183 subsp. archerae .................................................................. 185 subsp. dendritica ................................................................ 186 subsp. groendrayensis ............................................................ 187 subsp. volkii .................................................................... 188 Lithops ruschiorum ................................................................ 189 var. ruschiorum .................................................................. 189 var. lineata ..................................................................... 190 Lithops salicola .................................................................. 192 cv. Malachite .................................................................... 193 Lithops schwantesii ............................................................... 194 subsp. schwantesii var. schwantesii .............................................. 194 var. marthae ..................................................................... 195 var. rugosa ...................................................................... 196 var. urikosensis ................................................................. 197 subsp. gebseri ................................................................... 198 Lithops steineckeana .............................................................. 200 Lithops terricolor ................................................................ 201 cv. Silver Spurs ................................................................. 202 cv. Speckled Gold ................................................................ 203 Lithops vallis-mariae ............................................................. 203 Lithops verruculosa ............................................................... 205 var. verruculosa ................................................................. 205 var. glabra ...................................................................... 206 Lithops villetii .................................................................. 207 subsp. villetii .................................................................. 207 subsp. deboeri ................................................................... 208 subsp. kennedyi .................................................................. 209 Lithops viridis ................................................................... 211 Lithops werneri ................................................................... 212 Taxonomic Index ................................................................... 215 Bibliography and References ....................................................... 235 General Index ..................................................................... 241 List of Subscribers ............................................................... 247