Description:

• Compact, ± stemless, dwarf, succulent perennials, ± sunken in the soil, of 1 or more ± connate leaf pairs (bodies); roots fibrous
• Leaves opposite, connate to form an obconic body with a truncate apex, old leaves turning into ± hard sheaths enclosing new body, flat tops variously marked, sculptured or windowed; surface ± smooth, but epidermal cells often bluntly elevated, rarely papillate, with remarkable, thick outer epidermal walls encrusted with cutinised blocks and thick crystal layers, crystals increasing basipetally in size
• Flowers solitary, rarely 2 or 3, from centre of fissure between leaves of a pair, shortly pedicellate, ebracteate, 15-40 mm in diameter; opening mid-afternoon, closing at sunset
• Sepals 4-7
• Petals 1-4-seriate, linear, white, yellow or orange
• Stamens sometimes papillate towards base; staminodes 0
• Nectary a crenulate ring
• Ovary with parietal placentas; style short or 0; stigmas 4-7(9), filiform
• Fruit a 4-7(9)-locular capsule, of Delosperma type; small; valves with broad valve wings; expanding keel single, stout, central on valve, divided at apex; covering membranes reduced to a limb or 0; closing bodies 0
• Seeds highly variable in size, shape, colour and texture
• x = 9

• Flowering autumn to early winter

• Distinguishing characters:
  • Compact dwarf perennials, mostly underground with paired leaves fused to form ± obconic bodies with flat or rounded, often windowed and ornamented tops
  • Fruit 4-7(9)-locular
  • Pedicels ebracteate

Nomenclature:

• Lithops N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 44 (1922)
  • Friedrich: 68 (1970)
  • Herre: 196 (1971)
  • Cole (1988)
  • Clark: 1 (1996)
  • Smith et al.: 112 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 36, widespread, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, but excluding Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal and occurs mainly in the Nama Karoo, succulent karoo and in rare cases in semi-arid savanna regions