Plants
Living Stones
Lithops · Aizoaceae
Living stones may be the most curious houseplant of all: each little plant consists of just two fused, pebble-shaped leaves whose pattern mimics stones with uncanny accuracy — camouflage against grazers in the semi-desert. In autumn a surprisingly large white or yellow flower pushes out of the cleft. Care is simple but unforgiving: water at the wrong moment and you lose the plant.
- Light
- Full sun — the brightest spot in the house is only just good enough.
- Watering
- Extremely sparing and strictly seasonal: only May to autumn bloom, none during leaf change.
- Care level
- Demanding
- Botanical
- Lithops
The lithops trick is mimicry: colour and markings of the leaf tops imitate the pebbles of their particular habitat, each of the roughly forty species matching a different rock. The translucent „windows“ on top let light into the leaf interior — in the wild most of the plant sits below ground.
The whole secret of care lies in the annual rhythm. After the autumn bloom the plant absorbs its old leaf pair completely while a new one grows inside. During this leaf change — usually late autumn to spring — it must not be watered at all; the plant lives off the water in the old leaves.
Water only in the growing period from around May until flowering in autumn, and sparingly even then: soak thoroughly, then let it dry out completely again. The classic beginner mistake is well-meant winter watering — the result is burst or rotting leaves. You will almost never see lithops die of drought, though.
The spot must be as sunny as possible, ideally an uncurtained south window. The substrate is purely mineral — pumice, grit, coarse sand, hardly any humus. In ordinary potting soil these little desert dwellers reliably etiolate and rot.
Discipline is rewarded with the autumn bloom: a silky, daisy-like flower emerges from the leaf cleft, sometimes larger than the whole plant, opening in the afternoon sun. Arranged in shallow bowls with gravel in between, several species make a small living stone field — a talking point for any collector.
Is Living Stones toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Non-toxic
- Dogs
- Non-toxic
Living stones are considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and children. Their camouflage and tiny size make them uninteresting to pets anyway — the plant is more at risk from curious paws than the other way round.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Give them full sun at a south window — lithops tolerate no shady corner.
- 02Water only from around May until the autumn bloom, thoroughly but rarely.
- 03Do not water at all during the leaf change (late autumn to spring).
- 04Use purely mineral substrate (pumice, grit, coarse sand).
- 05Do not feed, or at most minimally once a year.
- 06Overwinter cool (10–15 degrees) and ensure good air movement.
Frequently asked
- How often should I water living stones?
- Far less often than instinct suggests: only between around May and the autumn bloom, then thoroughly every few weeks. From late autumn until the leaf change finishes in spring they get no water at all — during that time the plant lives off the water in its old leaves.
- Why are my living stones shrivelling?
- In winter and spring shrivelling is normal and desirable: the old leaf pair is being absorbed by the new one and collapses like parchment. Whatever you do, do not water now. If the leaves shrivel in the middle of the summer growing season, however, one thorough watering is in order.
- Are living stones toxic to cats?
- No, lithops are considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and people. Thanks to their stone camouflage most pets never register them as plants — if anything, the fragile leaf bodies need protecting from playful paws.
- When do living stones flower?
- Plants flower from about three to five years of age, in autumn, usually between September and November. The white or yellow bloom opens on sunny afternoons and lasts about a week. The prerequisite is a sunny summer with the right watering rhythm and a cool, dry winter rest the year before.