Index:

L. marmorata var. marmorata
acf 'Polepsky Smaragd'
L. marmorata var. elisae

Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. marmorata (1920)

Origin:

Collected by Pillans in 1918 or earlier; this was presumably Neville Stuart Pillans, not his father, Charles Eustace Pillans who died early in 1919. Latin marmorata 'marbled'.

Distribution:

RSA: CP, in a quadrant-shaped area, centered on Springbok, with radii of about 70 km extending NW to a point between Steinkopf and Port Nolloth, and NE towards Pofadder, and with an outlier SE of Vioolsdrif. TL 'not stated', therefore unknown. We have a specimen of this taxon presented to us in 1969 by Harry Hall, which he had received many years before as a cutting of N.E. Brown's type plant. This specimen most closely matches plants from the SE part of the range, i.e. the form published as *L. framesii L. Bol. It is therefore possible that Pillans collected the type material of L. marmorata in that area, and that Ross Frames collected *L. framesii (C058) in the same region, or perhaps even from the same colony, some ten years later.
Stone: Quartzite; gneiss; pegmatite and gneiss; pegmatite and calcrete; pegmatite and schist. Colours grey-white, light brown, pink, brown, red-brown, some greyish green.

Description:

Generally characterized by partly occluded transluscent windows with bold or flecked islands which produce a marbled effect.
Profile truncate-cordate; top surface occasionally ± flat, mostly convex, sometimes slightly humped and occasionally with the face lower on one side, therefore slightly lopsided; fissure deep, 10-20 mm; lobes sometimes conjunct, usually somewhat divergent.
Face flush to elevated, elliptic to very slightly reniform, often elongated; lobes equal-unequal; opaque + transluscent; smooth to slightly rugose.
Margins usually distinct, occasionally fairly regular or slightly dentate, mostly irregularly dentate or sinuate with many peninsulas; inner margins sometimes extended slightly downwards along the outer edges of the fissures and tapered to fine points.
Windows usually ± occluded, sometimes ± completely open.
Channels broad to very narrow, irregular.
Islands few to many, small to large, mostly irregular, usually well-defined but sometimes reduced to indistinct mottling or flecks.
Rubrications absent.
Dusky dots seldom visible without a lens, irregularly scattered in the windows or channels, occasionally quite numerous.
Colours: Margins and islands opaque, various shades of pale grey, often tinged with pale blue, grean, cream or pink, the margins sometimes more intensely coloured. Windows and channels various shades of obscurely transluscent grey, often tinted with pink, green or blue, or greyish, bluish or brownish green. Dusky dots dull greenish grey. Shoulders as for the margins, often duller or greyer.
Size: Medium to large, facial diameters up to 36 X 23 mm, mostly about 25 X 17 mm. Number of heads up to 26 or more, mostly 2-6.

Flowers:

White, medium to large, up to 45 mm Ø, mostly 25-35 mm Ø.
Seed capsules mostly 6-merous (94%), otherwise mainly 5-merous (5%), or 7-merous (1%). Profile boat-shaped, with broad flattened pedicel, top ± flat. Face broadly elliptic to almost round, up to 9,5 X 8 mm, mostly about 8 X 7 mm.
Seeds light yellow-brown to yellow-brown; rugose 1 to tuberculate 2, flecked.

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Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. marmorata
acf 'Polepsky Smaragd' (1996)

Description:

Differs from var. marmorata in being green or yellow-green in colour. No further information available.

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Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. elisae (H.W. de Boer) D.T. Cole (1961)

Origin:

Collected by Dr & Mrs A.L. Geyer in May 1961. Named for Miss J.J. Elisa van den Thoorn, secretary of the Netherlands Society of Succulent Plant Collectors during the years 1935-43, who contributed very significantly to the development of the Society and its journal, Succulenta.

Distribution:

RSA: CP, in a small area to the N of the main range of var. marmorata, and to the S and SE of Vioolsdrif. TL 'Little Namaland (sic) between Steinkopf and Vioolsdrif' (C251).
Stone: Calcrete and gneiss. Colours grey-white with some yellow-brown, dark grey, greyish green.

Description:

Generally distinguished from the type by the absence of windows, which are reduced to very barrow channels or grooves, the face therefore almost entirely opaque.
Profile truncate-cordate; top surface ± flat to slightly convex; fissure deep, 10-20 mm; lobes mostly somewhat divergent.
Face usually somewhat elevated, elliptic-reniform, sometimes elongated; lobes equal-unequal; mostly opaque, occasionally partly transluscent; slightly rugose.
Margins usually not distinguishable, infrequently distinct but irregularly dentate or sinuate with a number of peninsulas; along the inner margins usually distinct narrow channels which are drawn to fine points at the ends.
Windows usually absent, otherwise usually ± densely occluded.
Channels occasionally broad to narrow, but usually reduced to an irregular network of very narrow slightly impressed grooves, which sometimes terminate as fine lines tapering off into the marginal area.
Islands mostly large, few to many, irregular, usually manifest as opaque areas surrounded by grooves.
Rubrications absent.
Dusky dots very rarely visible even with a lens.
Colours: Face (margins & islands) various shades of opaque pale milky grey, beige or cream, sometimes tinged with pink or green. Channels various shades of opaque or obscurely transluscent grey, often tinged with green or blue. Dusky dots dull dark greenish grey. Shoulders as for the face or margins, but duller or greyer.
Size: Medium to large, facial diameters up to 36 X 25 mm, mostly about 25 X 30 mm. Number of heads up to 8 or more, mostly 2-4.

Flowers:

White, medium to large, up to 37 mm Ø, mostly 25-30 mm Ø.
Seed capsules mostly 6-merous (92%), otherwise mainly 7-merous (6%), or 5-merous (1%). Profile boat-shaped, with broad flattened pedicel, top ± flat. Face broadly elliptic to almost round, up to 9 X 7 mm, mostly about 7,5 X 6,5 mm.
Seeds light yellow-brown ; tuberculate 1, flecked.

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* Information from COLE, DESMOND T. and NAUREEN A., (2005) Lithops Flowering Stones, Cactus&Co. Libri


	Index: *L. marmorata* var. *marmorata* acf 'Polepsky Smaragd' *L. marmorata* var. *elisae* *Lithops marmorata* (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912) var. *marmorata* (1920) Origin: Collected by Pillans in 1918 or earlier; this was presumably Neville Stuart Pillans, not his father, Charles Eustace Pillans who died early in 1919. Latin marmorata 'marbled'. Distribution: RSA: CP, in a quadrant-shaped area, centered on Springbok, with radii of about 70 km extending NW to a point between Steinkopf and Port Nolloth, and NE towards Pofadder, and with an outlier SE of Vioolsdrif. TL 'not stated', therefore unknown. We have a specimen of this taxon presented to us in 1969 by Harry Hall, which he had received many years before as a cutting of N.E. Brown's type plant. This specimen most closely matches plants from the SE part of the range, i.e. the form published as L. framesii L. Bol. It is therefore possible that Pillans collected the type material of L. marmorata* in that area, and that Ross Frames collected L. framesii (C058) in the same region, or perhaps even from the same colony, some ten years later. Stone:* Quartzite; gneiss; pegmatite and gneiss; pegmatite and calcrete; pegmatite and schist. Colours grey-white, light brown, pink, brown, red-brown, some greyish green. Description: Generally characterized by partly occluded transluscent windows with bold or flecked islands which produce a marbled effect. Profile truncate-cordate; top surface occasionally ± flat, mostly convex, sometimes slightly humped and occasionally with the face lower on one side, therefore slightly lopsided; fissure deep, 10-20 mm; lobes sometimes conjunct, usually somewhat divergent. Face flush to elevated, elliptic to very slightly reniform, often elongated; lobes equal-unequal; opaque + transluscent; smooth to slightly rugose. Margins usually distinct, occasionally fairly regular or slightly dentate, mostly irregularly dentate or sinuate with many peninsulas; inner margins sometimes extended slightly downwards along the outer edges of the fissures and tapered to fine points. Windows usually ± occluded, sometimes ± completely open. Channels broad to very narrow, irregular. Islands few to many, small to large, mostly irregular, usually well-defined but sometimes reduced to indistinct mottling or flecks. Rubrications absent. Dusky dots seldom visible without a lens, irregularly scattered in the windows or channels, occasionally quite numerous. Colours: Margins and islands opaque, various shades of pale grey, often tinged with pale blue, grean, cream or pink, the margins sometimes more intensely coloured. Windows and channels various shades of obscurely transluscent grey, often tinted with pink, green or blue, or greyish, bluish or brownish green. Dusky dots dull greenish grey. Shoulders as for the margins, often duller or greyer. Size: Medium to large, facial diameters up to 36 X 23 mm, mostly about 25 X 17 mm. Number of heads up to 26 or more, mostly 2-6. Flowers: White, medium to large, up to 45 mm Ø, mostly 25-35 mm Ø. Seed capsules mostly 6-merous (94%), otherwise mainly 5-merous (5%), or 7-merous (1%). Profile boat-shaped, with broad flattened pedicel, top ± flat. Face broadly elliptic to almost round, up to 9,5 X 8 mm, mostly about 8 X 7 mm. Seeds light yellow-brown to yellow-brown; rugose 1 to tuberculate 2, flecked. \| Back to the top \| *Lithops marmorata* (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912) var. *marmorata* acf 'Polepsky Smaragd' (1996) Description: Differs from var. marmorata in being green or yellow-green in colour. No further information available. \| Back to the top \| *Lithops marmorata* (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912) var. *elisae* (H.W. de Boer) D.T. Cole (1961) Origin: Collected by Dr & Mrs A.L. Geyer in May 1961. Named for Miss J.J. Elisa van den Thoorn, secretary of the Netherlands Society of Succulent Plant Collectors during the years 1935-43, who contributed very significantly to the development of the Society and its journal, Succulenta. Distribution: RSA: CP, in a small area to the N of the main range of var. marmorata, and to the S and SE of Vioolsdrif. TL 'Little Namaland (sic) between Steinkopf and Vioolsdrif' (C251). Stone: Calcrete and gneiss. Colours grey-white with some yellow-brown, dark grey, greyish green. Description: Generally distinguished from the type by the absence of windows, which are reduced to very barrow channels or grooves, the face therefore almost entirely opaque. Profile truncate-cordate; top surface ± flat to slightly convex; fissure deep, 10-20 mm; lobes mostly somewhat divergent. Face usually somewhat elevated, elliptic-reniform, sometimes elongated; lobes equal-unequal; mostly opaque, occasionally partly transluscent; slightly rugose. Margins usually not distinguishable, infrequently distinct but irregularly dentate or sinuate with a number of peninsulas; along the inner margins usually distinct narrow channels which are drawn to fine points at the ends. Windows usually absent, otherwise usually ± densely occluded. Channels occasionally broad to narrow, but usually reduced to an irregular network of very narrow slightly impressed grooves, which sometimes terminate as fine lines tapering off into the marginal area. Islands mostly large, few to many, irregular, usually manifest as opaque areas surrounded by grooves. Rubrications absent. Dusky dots very rarely visible even with a lens. Colours: Face (margins & islands) various shades of opaque pale milky grey, beige or cream, sometimes tinged with pink or green. Channels various shades of opaque or obscurely transluscent grey, often tinged with green or blue. Dusky dots dull dark greenish grey. Shoulders as for the face or margins, but duller or greyer. Size: Medium to large, facial diameters up to 36 X 25 mm, mostly about 25 X 30 mm. Number of heads up to 8 or more, mostly 2-4. Flowers: White, medium to large, up to 37 mm Ø, mostly 25-30 mm Ø. Seed capsules mostly 6-merous (92%), otherwise mainly 7-merous (6%), or 5-merous (1%). Profile boat-shaped, with broad flattened pedicel, top ± flat. Face broadly elliptic to almost round, up to 9 X 7 mm, mostly about 7,5 X 6,5 mm. Seeds light yellow-brown ; tuberculate 1, flecked. \| Back to the top \| * Information from COLE, DESMOND T. and NAUREEN A., (2005) Lithops Flowering Stones, Cactus&Co. Libri

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Index:

Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. marmorata (1920)

Origin:

Distribution:

Description:

Flowers:

Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. marmorata acf 'Polepsky Smaragd' (1996)

Description:

Lithops marmorata (N.E. Brown) N.E. Br. (1912)

var. elisae (H.W. de Boer) D.T. Cole (1961)

Origin:

Distribution:

Description:

Flowers:

var. marmorata
acf 'Polepsky Smaragd' (1996)