Accepted Scientific Name: Lithops marmorata
Gard. Chron. 1922, Ser. III. lxxi. 80
Lithops marmorata C365 (syn. framesii) 60 km NE of Springbok, South Africa Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
Origin and Habitat: 60 km North East of Springbok, South Africa.
Habitat: It grows in rocky environments has white to pale grey leaves and closely mimics the white quartzite pebbles.
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Lithops marmorata
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Accepted name in llifle Database:Lithops marmorata (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br.Gard. Chron. 1922, Ser. III. lxxi. 80Synonymy: 12
Accepted name in llifle Database:Lithops marmorata var. elisae (de Boer) D.T.ColeExcelsa 3: 48 (1973)Synonymy: 5
Cultivars
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Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Stone Plant, Split Rocks, Living Rocks, Cleft Stones, Living Stones
ITALIAN (Italiano): Pianta Sasso
Description: Lithops marmorataSN|13107]]SN|13107]] (framesii) is a tiny perennials succulent plant. The colour is grey-white or pale grey-green sometimes with a purplish flush. The upper surfaces of leaves is convex and quite variable in appearance, it has darker translucent windows mottled with white with an overall marbled effect. Bears a white flower in late summer or early autumn. Lithops framesiiSN|13110]]SN|13110]] and Lithops marmorataSN|13107]]SN|13107]] are probably exactly the same and is possible that Pillans collected the type material of L. marmorata in the same area, where Ross Frames collected L. framesii (C058), or perhaps even from the same colony, some ten years later.
Habit: It consists of a pair of almost stemless succulent leaves that grows solitary or forming clumps of 2 or more heads (occasionally up to 26).
Bodies (paired leaves): Small to medium sized, inverse-cone-shaped, truncate-cordate, 20-36 mm long, 15-23 mm broad, 20-30 cm tall. Lobes unequal-sized, swollen, separated by a deep fissure to 10 mm deep, usually somewhat divergent. The new leaves are opposed with respect to the previous ones and form a right angle with these. Top of lobe ovoidal and more or less elonged, flush to slightly convex, smooth to slightly rugose. Sides coloured light green-yellow, with upper edge slightly purple. Window large grey-green, mottled with palegrey or creamy-green. Outer margin usually distinct, very irregular, consisting of a number of jagged fine projections into the window, others being short toothlike: these projections become separated from the margin and form islands (irregular) in the window; inner margins straight or toothed. The texture of the mottled part of the lobe is very fine, giving the whole window a fine misty appearance like fine cobweb, number of fine white dots in the window.
Flowers: Single glossy white daisy-like that emerges from the fissure, the flower is as large as the pair of fleshy leaves below (2,5-4,5 cm in diameter).
Blooming season: From mid-summer through autumn.
Fruits: Capsules usually 6-parted, Profile boat-shaped, with broad flattened pedicel, top flat. Face broadly elliptic to almost round.
Seeds: Light yellow-brown to yellow-brown; rugose -tuberculate.
Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Lithops marmorata group
- Lithops framesii L. Bolus: L. framesii and L. marmorata are probably exactly the same and they comes from the same area even from the same colonies. Distribution: Little Namaqualand.
- Lithops marmorata (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br.: It is solitary or forming clumps of 2 or more heads. It is normally a grey bodied plant with sides coloured light grey-green-yellow, the top of lobes is slightly convex, smooth with fairly open grey-green coloured window, usually marbled in appearance and sometimes with a purplish flush. The flowers are white.
- Lithops marmorata C058 (syn. framesii) 45 km ENE of Springbok, South Africa
- Lithops marmorata C163 25 km NE of Steinkopf, South Africa: large transparent mottled window.
- Lithops marmorata C260 (syn. diutina) 15 km ENE of Steinkopf, South Africa: pale whitish grey.
- Lithops marmorata C305 40 km NNE of Steinkopf, South Africa: pinkish beauty.
- Lithops marmorata C360 35 km NE of Steinkopf, South Africa
- Lithops marmorata C365 (syn. framesii) 60 km NE of Springbok, South Africa
- Lithops marmorata var. elisae (de Boer) D.T.Cole: It has grey leaves with dark lines across the leaf faces, and white flowers. It occurs throughout the western reaches of Bushmanland.
- Lithops marmorata var. elisae C214 35 km SE of Vioolsdrif, South Africa: grey body, jagged window.
- Lithops marmorata var. elisae C251 TL: 30 km SE of Vioolsdrif, South Africa: coarse ivory spots.
- Lithops marmorata var. elisae C252 30 km SSE of Vioolsdrif, South Africa: milky grey, dark lines.
- Lithops marmorata cv. Polepský Smaragd: Emerald glass cultivar. Origin: Czech Republic.
Bibliography: Major refences and further lectures
1) Heidrun E. K. Hartmann “Aizoaceae F – Z” Springer 2002
2) Achim Hecktheuer “Mesembs, mehr als nur Lithops” Books on Demand GmbH Norderstedt. 2008
3) Desmond T. Cole & Naureen A. Cole, Uwe Beyer, Yves Delange “Les Lithops” SUCCULENTES Spécial 2008 AIAPS (now Terra seca). 2008
4) Desmond T. Cole & Naureen A. Cole “LITHOPS Flowering Stones” Cactus & Co. Libri. 2005
5) Yasuhiko Shimada “The Genus Lithops” Dobun Shoin. 2001
6) Rudolf Heine “Lithops - Lebende Steine” Neumann Verlag. 1986
7) Bernd Schlösser “Lithops – Lebende Steine” Praktische Anleitung für die Zimmerkultur. BussinessPoint MEDIA. 2000
8) Steven A. Hammer “Lithops – Treasures of the veld” British Cactus and Succulent Society. 1999
9) Desmond T. Cole “Lithops – Flowering Stones” Acorn Books 1988
10) Rudolf Heine “Lithops – lebende Steine” Neumann Verlag. 1986
11) David L. Sprechman “Lithops” Associated University Presses, Inc. 1970
12) Gert Cornelius Nel “Lithops” Hortors Limited, South Africa 1946
13) Edgar Lamb "The illustrated reference on cacti and other succulents" Blandford Press. 1978
14) Christopher Brickell, Royal Horticultural Society "RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants: K-Z., Volume 2" Kindersley, 2008
15) G. C . Nel “Lithops: Plantae succulantae, rarissimae, in terra obscuratae, e famailia Aizoaceae, ex Africa australi” Hortors Limited, Cape Town, South Africa 1946
16) Heidrun E. K. Hartmann "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae F-Z" Springer, 2002
17) Steven A. Hammer "Lithops: Joyaux du veld" Editions Quae, 25/nov/2010
Cultivation and Propagation: Need an open mineral, fast draining mix and the maximum amount of light you are able to give them. The basic cultivation routine is: Stop watering after flowering. Start watering after the old leaves completely dry. (Usually late March or Early April) Water freely during the growing season, soak the compost fully but allow it to dry out between waterings, no water when cold. Some growers fertilize frequently, some hardly ever. Keep them dry during the winter. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid. This plant is best for a well lit area (Bright shade to full sun).
Note: After flowering in the autumn and extending through winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, but they will still be growing, the new bodies will be increasing in size extracting water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away. In fact the plant in this time extracts water and nutrient stored in the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to dehydrate relocating the water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period until the old leaves are reduced to nothing more than "thin papery shells".