리톱스 헬무티-Lithops helmutii

리톱스 헬무티

Lithops helmutii

 

 

국표에는 없다.

Origin and Habitat: It is found only in a small area between Steinkopf-Arrabies; Steinkopf-Kinderlê, Namaqualand Republic of South Africa.
Type Locality: North East of Steinkopf, South Africa.
Habitat: Lithops helmutii grows in the shelter of rocks in an essentially winter rainfall climate. The substrata is mainly composed by translucent white, red-stained and brownish quartzite. The outstanding characteristic of these small succulents is their highly efficient camouflage. only the upper few mm or so of the plant usually protrudes above the soil and it is often nearly buried by the detritus accumulated about it. The fleshy leaves are can hardly be distinguished from the gravels among which the plant grows and one can search diligently in places where they are known to exist without ever finding them.

Description: Lithops helmuti is one of the few naturally occurring green Lithops species with a large semi transparent to transparent window. It has a pair of plump leaves, which are bright green marked with grey and with an oblique upper surface.
Habit: The plants are stemless, perennial succulents, with solitary or clustered bodies up to 3 cm hight, usually in clumps of 5-6 heads, but may occasionally forms large clumps with more than 26 heads. Each heads consists of a single, simple, fleshy body which is split into two parts by a deep fissure. From this cleft a single flower blooms when climatic conditions are favourable. A fresh pair of leaves grows every year almost as if a new plant emerges between the old leaves.
Bodies (paired leaves): Small to medium, facial diameters about 20-30 long 15-19 mm in width, turbinate, leaves not completely fused often bicuneate in profile, fissure deep, lobes obliquely convex, sometimes tapering to a point, soft-skinned, often wrinkled, unequal in size; window conspicuous, sometime reduced by islands and marginal indentations, pale green, translucent, very light-green, mottled more or less with pale-grey, creamy-grey, sometimes only a few specks. Outer margin irregularly lobed, sometimes denticulate; inner margin usually straight, plain, sometimes also denticulate.
Flowers: Golden yellow with white centre (or completely white), diurnal opening in the afternoon and closing at sunset. The flower is usually about the same dimension as the plant itself (up to 33 mm in diameter).
Blooming season: Autumn, usually in April and May in habitat. In general appearance the blossoms are very similar to the Mesembryanthemurn or ice-plant (to which they are closely related).

http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SUCCULENTS/Family/Aizoaceae/14080/Lithops_helmutii