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Living stones (Lithops)
Also known as : Pebble plants
Living stones (the genus name, Lithops, translates to "stone face") are easily recognizable for their bulbous, nearly fused leaf structure. Their uniquely rocklike appearance is likely a survival adaptation: herbivores are likely to confuse them for pebbles, so they won't attempt to consume them.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Succulent
Key Facts About Living stones
Feedback
Attributes of Living stones
Plant Height
1 cm
Spread
2 cm
Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
15 - 38 ℃
Scientific Classification of Living stones
Phylum
Vascular plants
Class
Dicotyledons
Order
Pinks, cacti, and allies
Family
Fig-marigold
Genus
Living stones
Distribution of Living stones
Feedback
Distribution Map of Living stones
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Living stones
Feedback
Living stones are succulent plants requiring bright light, minimal watering, and well-draining soil. Overwatering is a common challenge as it can lead to rot; pests like mealybugs may also pose threats. Seasonally, living stones need a dry dormancy period in winter and reduced watering in summer during their active growth phase. It's essential to simulate their natural habitat's conditions to successfully cultivate living stones.
Exploring the Living stones Plants
Feedback
5 most common species：
Truncate living stone
Truncate living stone (*Lithops pseudotruncatella*) is a succulent species native to Southern Africa. Truncate living stone is valued for its stone-like appearance and cultivated as a houseplant. This species was the first in its genus to be introduced in Europe. It is considered low-maintenance and easy to grow as a houseplant because it requires little watering.
Optica stone plant
Optica stone plant is a hugely popular ornamental plant because of its unique appearance—it is a living stone plant, placed in this category because of its striking resemblance to pebbles. The epithet optica in its Latin name Lithops optica means "eye-like"; this relates to the plant's fleshy leaves that resemble an eye.
Living stone
The living stone resembles small, colorful stones. With its flowers emerging from the narrow gaps between two leaves, many people also refer to it as the "living stone Flower". Distinguishing native living stone from gravel scattered on the ground can be a real challenge to many people, but this can be overcome by growing it in a container. With its unique shape and high ornamental value, the living stone has become a very popular potted plant in recent years.
Lithops fulviceps
Lithops fulviceps, often resembling stones or pebbles, is a succulent adept at surviving in its arid environment. Its fleshy leaves, which merge at the surface, take on a grey-green hue with hints of orange, effectively camouflaging among rocks to evade predation. This remarkable mimicry allows lithops fulviceps to conserve moisture, thriving under harsh sunlight with minimal water.
Lithops localis
Lithops localis is a small, ground-hugging succulent with a remarkable resemblance to stones. Its fleshy leaves are split into paired leaflets, mimicking rock surfaces in texture and color, allowing it to blend seamlessly into its arid habitat. This camouflage conserves water and provides protection from predators, exemplifying an evolution finely tuned to survival in harsh environments.
More Popular Genus
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Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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About
Key Facts
Distribution
How To Care
All Species
More Genus
Living stones
Lithops
Also known as: Pebble plants
Living stones (the genus name, Lithops, translates to "stone face") are easily recognizable for their bulbous, nearly fused leaf structure. Their uniquely rocklike appearance is likely a survival adaptation: herbivores are likely to confuse them for pebbles, so they won't attempt to consume them.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Succulent
Key Facts About Living stones
Feedback
Attributes of Living stones
Plant Height
1 cm
Spread
2 cm
Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
15 - 38 ℃
Scientific Classification of Living stones
Phylum
Vascular plants Class
Dicotyledons Order
Pinks, cacti, and allies Family
Fig-marigold Genus
Living stones Distribution of Living stones
Feedback
Distribution Map of Living stones
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Living stones
Feedback
Living stones are succulent plants requiring bright light, minimal watering, and well-draining soil. Overwatering is a common challenge as it can lead to rot; pests like mealybugs may also pose threats. Seasonally, living stones need a dry dormancy period in winter and reduced watering in summer during their active growth phase. It's essential to simulate their natural habitat's conditions to successfully cultivate living stones.
Exploring the Living stones Plants
Feedback
5 most common species：
Truncate living stone
Truncate living stone (*Lithops pseudotruncatella*) is a succulent species native to Southern Africa. Truncate living stone is valued for its stone-like appearance and cultivated as a houseplant. This species was the first in its genus to be introduced in Europe. It is considered low-maintenance and easy to grow as a houseplant because it requires little watering.
Optica stone plant
Optica stone plant is a hugely popular ornamental plant because of its unique appearance—it is a living stone plant, placed in this category because of its striking resemblance to pebbles. The epithet optica in its Latin name Lithops optica means "eye-like"; this relates to the plant's fleshy leaves that resemble an eye.
Living stone
The living stone resembles small, colorful stones. With its flowers emerging from the narrow gaps between two leaves, many people also refer to it as the "living stone Flower". Distinguishing native living stone from gravel scattered on the ground can be a real challenge to many people, but this can be overcome by growing it in a container. With its unique shape and high ornamental value, the living stone has become a very popular potted plant in recent years.
Lithops fulviceps
Lithops fulviceps, often resembling stones or pebbles, is a succulent adept at surviving in its arid environment. Its fleshy leaves, which merge at the surface, take on a grey-green hue with hints of orange, effectively camouflaging among rocks to evade predation. This remarkable mimicry allows lithops fulviceps to conserve moisture, thriving under harsh sunlight with minimal water.
Show More Species
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
