Lithops amicorum

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Lithops amicorum
Amicorum-1009.jpg
Lithops amicorum in cultivation
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Lithops
Species:
Trinomial name
Lithops amicorum subsp.
D.T. Cole, 2006 [1]

Lithops amicorum is a small succulent plant with white flowers, one of the smallest in the genus. It was named for the group of four friends who discovered it. It was collected by Desmond T. and Naureen A. Cole on 3 May 2004. [1] After recent molecular analysis it was recombined to be a subspecies of Lithops karasmontana rather than its own species. [2]

Contents

Description

Lithops amicorum is a candidate for the smallest Lithops, [3] typically 10–15 millimeters in diameter. [1] Its leaves are whitish-grey, the translucent windows on the top faces marked with grey islands. Some plants have subtle dots or lines, sometimes reddish markings. [1] The fleshy succulent leaves occur in pairs, with one new pair growing each year and the older pair drying up. L. amicorum typically forms clumps with 2–4 leaf pairs. [3]

The flowers of L. amicorum are white and fairly small. The capsules are also small and nearly always have five locules. [3]

Known only from three colonies near Aus, L. amicorum is a Namibian endemic. [1] [3]

Cultivar

Lithops amicorum has one named cultivar, 'Freckled Friend'. 'Freckled Friend' is a pattern-cultivar which has darker and more prominent markings than typical for the species. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aizoaceae</span> Family of dicotyledonous flowering plants

The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and New Zealand. Highly succulent species that resemble stones are sometimes called mesembs.

<i>Hoya</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Hoya is a genus of over 500 accepted species of tropical plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Most are native to several countries of Asia such as the Philippines, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Polynesia, New Guinea, and many species are also found in Australia.

<i>Lithops</i> Genus of plants

Lithops is a genus of succulent plants in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae. Members of the genus are native to southern Africa. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words λίθος 'stone' and ὄψ 'face', referring to the stone-like appearance of the plants. They avoid being eaten by blending in with surrounding rocks and are often known as pebble plants or living stones. Lithops is both the genus name and the common name. The formation of the name from the Ancient Greek -ops means that even a single plant is called a Lithops.

<i>Cotyledon orbiculata</i> Species of plant

Cotyledon orbiculata, commonly known as pig's ear or round-leafed navel-wort, is a South African succulent plant belonging to the genus Cotyledon.

<i>Lithops viridis</i> Species of plant

Lithops viridis is a species of plant in the family Aizoaceae.

<i>Lithops salicola</i> Species of succulent

Lithops salicola is a species of perennial plant in the family Aizoaceae, often called living stones, because of its resemblance to round grey pebbles.

<i>Lithops francisci</i> Species of succulent

Lithops francisci, commonly known as one of the living stones or pebble plants, is in the family Aizoaceae. It is endemic to the arid desert environments of Namibia. It is a succulent with a natural habitat in rocky areas. L. francisci was assessed by Nicholas Edward Brown in 1925. It is one of the Lithops plants and shares the characteristic bi-leaf head pattern separated by a deep fissure, the bottom of which houses and protects the stunted stem.

<i>Lithops karasmontana</i> Species of succulent

Lithops karasmontana, is a species of flowering plant in the ice plant family Aizoaceae, native to Namibia and South Africa.

<i>Lapidaria margaretae</i> Species of succulent

Lapidaria is a monotypic genus of dwarf succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae. The only species it contains is Lapidaria margaretae, also known as the Karoo rose.

<i>Lithops olivacea</i> Species of succulent

Lithops olivacea is a species of the genus Lithops under the family Aizoaceae. The name olivacea refers to the Latin word for olive (oliva) combined with the suffix -cea, meaning "of the likeness", producing the idea of "olive likeness". Lithops olivacea grow primarily in the Bushmandland of South Africa. They grow most abundantly in the regions of Aggeneys, Pofadder, and Namies. L. olivacea also received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit for being "excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions, available to buy, of good constitution, essentially stable in form & colour, [and] reasonably resistant to pests & diseases."

<i>Lithops schwantesii</i> Species of plant

Lithops schwantesii is a succulent plant of the genus Lithops and a member of the family Aizoaceae. L. schwantesii receives its name from Gustav Schwantes, a prominent archaeologist and botanist of late 19th and 20th century. The succulent also received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit for being a resilient and easy to cultivate plant.

<i>Lithops pseudotruncatella</i> Species of plant

Lithops pseudotruncatella is a species of succulent in the family Aizoaceae. Initial confusion associated with Conophytum truncatum is where it derives its name, literally meaning "fake-truncatum". It also received The Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The plant is endemic to Namibia.

<i>Lithops divergens</i> Species of succulent

Lithops divergens is a succulent plant species of the genus Lithops under the family Aizoaceae. It grows around the regions of Southern Africa and it able to withstand intense climatic changes due to its resilience as a succulent. The average annual rainfall for its natural environment is less than 150 mm, occurring primarily in winter which is unusual for a Lithops.

<i>Lithops dinteri</i> Species of succulent

Lithops dinteri is a species of the genus Lithops of the family Aizoaceae. It is a succulent plant native to the desert climate of Southern Africa, where is receives an average yearly rainfall of 464 mm. The succulent plant is named after Mortiz Kurt Dinter, a German botanist of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a collector of exotic succulents and his collection numbered around 8,400 pressed specimens.

<i>Lithops villetii</i> Species of succulent

Lithops villetii is a species of the genus Lithops under the family Aizoaceae. The succulent plant is named after C. T. Villet. It is native to the Calvinia District, Namaqualand, Northern Cape, South Africa.

<i>Lithops otzeniana</i> Species of succulent

Lithops otzeniana is a species of succulent plant under the genus Lithops. It belongs to the family Aizoaceae. L. otzeniana is native to areas of Southern Africa. It derives its name from M. Otzen, who invited its discoverer, G.C. Nel, on the trip in which he discovered it.

<i>Lithops julii</i> Species of succulent

Lithops julii is a species of succulent plant of the genus Lithops under the family Aizoaceae. It is native to Southern Africa, and was first collected by Kurt Dinter, a German botanist, and named after his friend, Julius Derenberg.

<i>Lithops naureeniae</i> Species of succulent

Lithops naureeniae is a species of pebble plant (Lithops). It is classified under the family Aizoaceae. The succulent is native to Southern Africa and has the ability to withstand the desert climate in which it lives. L. naureeniae was identified in 1980 by Desmond Cole, who became involved in Lithops research in 1947, from a specimen provided to him by Bruce Bayer, curator of the Karoo Botanic Garden, having been collected by Peter V. Bruyns in Namaqualand. It is named after Cole's wife, Naureen Cole. Cole wrote:

I therefore have pleasure in dedicating it to the person who, during the last fifteen years, directly and indirectly, has contributed more to research on and knowledge of the genus Lithops than any other—my wife, Naureen

<i>Lithops herrei</i> Species of succulent

Lithops herrei is a species of succulent plant under the genus Lithops and family Aizoaceae. It derives its name from Adolar Herre, a German botanist of the 20th century.

<i>Lithops gesineae</i> Species of succulent

Lithops gesineae is a species of the genus Lithops under the family Aizoaceae. It is native to Namibia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lithops amicorum". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. Loots, Sonja; Nybom, Hilde; Schwager, Michaela; Sehic, Jasna; Ritz, Christiane M. (2019). "Genetic variation among and within Lithops species in Namibia". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 305 (10): 985–999. doi:10.1007/s00606-019-01619-w. S2CID   208539499.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hammer, S.A.; Barnhill, C. (2010). Lithops: Treasures of the Veld ; (observations on the Genus Lithops N. E. Br.). British Cactus and Succulent Society. ISBN   978-0-902099-92-0 . Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  4. Keith Green. "The International Cultivar Registration Authority Register and Checklist for the genus Lithops N.E.Br". Scrapbooklithops. Retrieved 2023-07-09.