리토프스 카라스모타나-[정명] Lithops karasmontana N.E.Br.

2019-12-30

국명수정: 리톱스 카라스몬타나 -> 리토프스 카라스모타나

Gard. Chron. 1926, Ser. III. lxxix. 102.
Family: AIZOACEAE

Origin and Habitat: Namibia. It is sporadically distributed throughout the West and South West Great Karasberg, mainly in the Klein Karas, Grünau and and Ai-Ais.
Habitat: These fantastic stone or pebble plants grows in barren minerals plains and mountain slopes clinging to life in this harsh landscape. They live a precarious existence hidden beneath outcrops of quartz and Lichens. They grow almost completely buried in the ground with only the upper truncated portion of the thick, succulent leaves visible. Lithops karasmontanaSN|12138]]SN|12138]] resist attacks from herbivorous predators by mimicking the local stone formations, in this case quartzite, pegmatite, gneiss, calcrete, sandstone, and is almost impossible to distinguish from their surroundings until they erupt into vivid daisy-like white flowers. Colours of the background grey-white, white, grey, pink, yellow-brown, brown, reddish brown, greenish white. They grow along with some of the most fascinating succulent and xerophyte plants like Welwitschia mirabilisSN|22991]]SN|22991]] and quiver trees (Aloe dichotomaSN|616]]SN|616]]).

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Synonyms:

• Lithops karasmontana N.E.Br.

Description: Lithops karasmontanaSN|12138]]SN|12138]] (a.k.a. Stone plant) is a tiny perennial, caespitose, succulent plant resembling a grouping of tiny pebbles split down the middle like cleft hooves. It grows to a maximum eight of 4 cm above ground and spreads to form small clumps with up to 12 or more heads (usually 2-6). It is one of the more variable species, with uniformly coloured or variously ornamented plants, and yet with opaque or obscurely windowed forms; there is also a great variation in the colours. Plants from different localities show strikingly different colours or patterns, but all natural populations show some degree of variation among individuals, and in some all possible intermediates colours and pattens occur.
Stem: Almost stemless.
Bodies (Paired leaves): Inverted cone-like, divided into 2 unequal-sized, conjunct and coalescent leaves. These leaves are modified for water storage as well as photosynthesis. Face elliptic-reniform 25-35 x 20-28 mm broad usually rugose. Top flat to slightly convex, fissure fairly deep, 4-10 mm long. Colours pale grey or bluish-grey on lower parts and shoulders, upper surfaces mottled with, brick red, beige, yellow, grey-green, brown, pale purple-brown, pink, grey-white on the flat sunken surfaces, rubrications absent or a network of dots, hooks, triangles, short lines, no lip-smear. Windows obscurely translucent greyish, bluish or brownish often absent. Margins indistinct or with more or less evident indentations, light grey tinged with various shades of blue, green, yellow, brown, pink or red. Channels narrow and irregular greyish, bluish, brownish green, or red-brown often limited to slightly impressed obscure lines and obscurely translucent. Often the channel are completely covered with dark brown, red or purplish rubrications that forms short lines, hooks, triangles and dots linked into a network. Islands irregular in shape, frequently only vaguely noticeable. Dusky dots absent or very inconspicuous.
The plant renews itself every year or so by putting out a new plantlet from between the two lobes. Once the new plant is full sized, the old lobes shrivel up and slough off as a snake skin does.
Flowers: Big up to 4,5 cm in diameter (mostly 25-35 mm) satiny white, narrow-rayed.
Blooming season: Late summer or early autumn.
Fruit: Seed capsules mostly 5-chambered, otherwise 4 or 6-chambered. Profile boat-shaped.
Seeds: Minuscule, yellow-brown; smooth to rugose.