Lithops, commonly known as “living stones,” bear an endearing resemblance to the rocks that surround them in nature. These famous members of the ice plant family (Aizoaceae) are so well camouflaged in their South African and Namibian habitat that we lumbering giants might step right over them and never know. The plant is also commonly noted for its gluteal appearance, with a pair of slightly rounded surfaces split down the middle. These leaf pairs feature an astonishing array of Rorschach-like blotches and ornate striations in almost every color palette imaginable on a plant. In autumn, large flowers push from the center seam, splitting the plant open until a fresh leaf pair emerges and slowly consumes the old one over winter. The whole affair is slightly grotesque and requires no water at all during this process, a point that baffles many beginners who accidentally rot their plants by watering too often. Keep Lithops completely dry once the leaves begin to split, then resume watering after the old leaves have dried away in the spring. Lithops aucampiae ‘Jackson’s Jade’ is a wonderful pigment-deficient form of Lithops aucampiae that has striking bright green leaves.
