Tuesday 16 June 2020

Lithops



Hello world here I am on a nice Tuesday writing a plant post this weeks plant is the Lithops, heard of it? Me neither, well a lithops is one of the worlds best imitators when in1811 while exploring southern Africa naturalist William John Burchell found a curious looking pebble which turned out to be a plant. This is why it is also called a pebble plant or living stone.

It's a kind of succulent close to the ground, its two flat , rounded leaves that look very like stones, it has colours and markings that match the rocks and pebbles around them.

This means many animals and people often don't notice them, so they avoid being eaten, even if something was to try and eat it the leaves are so firm that they are hard for the creature to take a bite.

When not disguise as a stone it is a showy flower plant when the flower makes seeds and dies off, it then returns to looking like a stone.


7 comments:

  1. Hi Jo-Anne - they are amazing plants ... just very special in the scheme of life. So glad you're telling us about them. Take care - Hilary

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  2. Really amazing and these are pretty succulents.

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  3. Yes, have heard of them as we sold them when we had our business before we retired some years ago.. they certainly are lovely.

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  4. My first thought: Well, if it looks like a pebble, Laurie could raise one and if it died, no one would know...

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  5. I've seen them before, they're interesting looking plants, but I never knew what they were called.

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  6. Hilary .......You're welcome they are inetresting

    Nancy......Yes they are

    Margaret D........So not new to you

    Chris.....Mine too, now that's funny

    Karen......Now you do but will you remember

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  7. I would love to see that in person.

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