Lithops fulviceps
| Light | Very bright light, including some direct sun; a sunny windowsill or grow light |
|---|---|
| Water | Very sparingly and only in the active growing season; keep dry during the leaf-change and summer rest (see Watering) |
| Soil | Extremely gritty, mostly mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing and dry when cold; USDA zones 10–11 |
| Propagation | Seed (primary); division of established clumps |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to cats and dogs |
Lithops fulviceps is a southern African living stone, a dwarf, stemless succulent whose paired leaves mimic the pebbles around it. Its flattened tops are tan, grey-brown or reddish and finely dotted with darker, sunken markings, and in autumn it produces cheerful yellow daisy-like flowers. The lime-green Lithops fulviceps 'Aurea form, which trades the usual earthy tones for a soft yellow-green body, is especially sought after by collectors.
Description
Lithops fulviceps consists of a single pair of fused, fleshy leaves forming a rounded, inverted-cone body, typically 2–3 cm across, with a slight division across the flat top. Most plants are solitary when young but slowly form small clumps of several heads with age. The upper face — the "window" through which light reaches the buried body — ranges from tan and greyish-brown to reddish tones, sprinkled with numerous small, dark, slightly sunken dots that give the surface its characteristic stippled look.
Flowers appear from the central fissure in autumn: bright yellow, many-petalled and daisy-like, opening in the afternoon over several days. Like all living stones the plant renews itself each year, drawing an old leaf pair dry as a fresh pair emerges from the slit between them.
The best-known selection, Aurea, replaces the usual browns and greys with a uniform lime- to yellow-green body and pale flowers, and is one of the most recognisable colour forms in the genus.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to arid parts of Namibia and the Northern Cape of South Africa, where it grows in quartz and other rocky ground under a harsh, dry sun. Plants sit nearly flush with the soil surface, often wedged among stones of similar colour, so that the exposed leaf tops are easily mistaken for the surrounding pebbles — a camouflage that protects them from grazing animals and extreme sun.
Rainfall in habitat is low and largely seasonal, and the plants are adapted to long dry spells, retreating below the surface and living off stored moisture during drought.
Cultivation
Lithops fulviceps is grown much like other living stones: the single greatest cause of loss is watering at the wrong time. Use a very gritty, mostly mineral mix in a pot deep enough for the long taproot, and give the plant as much light as you can — insufficient light causes the body to stretch and lose its compact, pebble-like form.
The watering rhythm follows the plant's yearly cycle rather than a fixed schedule. Water in the active growing periods of autumn (around flowering) and spring, always letting the mix dry completely between waterings. Withhold water while the plant is changing leaves in late winter and during its summer rest, when a dormant plant will absorb the old leaf pair for moisture. Watering during the leaf change or the summer rest is the classic route to a burst, rotted plant. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Seed is the usual method. Sown on a gritty surface and kept warm and lightly moist, the fine seed germinates readily, though seedlings grow slowly and take a few years to reach flowering size. Established clumps can also be divided, ideally when repotting, giving each division a share of root; single heads are slower and less reliable to establish. See Propagation - seed for a full walkthrough.
Cultivars
The lime-green Aurea is the most widely grown named form, prized for its soft yellow-green colouring and pale flowers. Several other colour and pattern selections circulate among collectors under variety and form names, and L. fulviceps is frequently grown alongside other species in the wider Lithops genus.
Common problems
- Rot — almost always from watering during dormancy or leaf change, or from a mix that holds too much moisture; the plant goes soft and collapses.
- Etiolation — too little light makes the body elongate upward and pale, losing the flat, pebble-like shape.
- Stacked leaf pairs — watering before the previous year's leaves have been fully absorbed leaves the plant carrying old and new pairs at once, weakening it over time.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff in the fissure and around the roots) and the occasional spider mite are the main nuisances; see Pests and diseases.
See also
- Lithops — the genus overview
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation - seed · Propagation - offsets