Shared planter and individual succulents
Plant 36 / 45
Shared planter and individual succulents
Plant 36 / 45
Probable Lithops lesliei; variety and cultivar unconfirmed
Lithops lesliei
Species reference · Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo Source ↗
Shared container · P35 · #9
Lithops shared planter · P35
2 botanical profiles · one container history
- Lithops leslieiProbable Lithops lesliei; variety and cultivar unconfirmedLikely MatchThis profile
Lithops salicolaProbable Lithops salicola; cultivar unconfirmedLikely Match
Probable Lithops lesliei and probable Lithops salicola share one container and may replace their leaves at different times. Inspect both groups before watering. Keep dry while old leaves are being absorbed; wrinkles in one group alone are not enough reason to water the whole pot.
One care record: log watering, feeding, weighing, and repotting once for P35. Include a plant's name when an observation concerns just that member.
Collection Record- Succulent-15A
Permanent Label#9
Identification
Status
Acquired From- Home Depot, Howell, Michigan; nursery labels identify Altman Plants as grower
Acquired On- 2026-09-21
Google Sheets ID- P35 ↗
Photo History- Photos in collection notes ↓
Measurements and Care History
Measurements and Care HistoryWeights, watering, events, and charts for P35.
Spot it
Spot itWhat it looks like
Two tan/brown patterned heads with pale islands separated by darker brown/olive channels, photographed in the shared Blush Mauve pot on September 23, 2026.
One curious thing
One curious thingDid you know?
The patterned top of a Lithops head includes translucent windows that admit light into its thick leaves, allowing much of the body to remain sheltered below ground in nature.
Explore This Plant
A closer look
How this plant works
How this plant worksA Lithops head packs its water reserve and light-gathering surfaces into just two fleshy leaves.
Paired fleshy leaves
Two thickened leaves form one water-storing head.
Upper windows
Translucent areas admit light to tissue inside the leaves.
Central fissure
Replacement growth and flowers emerge between the leaves.
Root system
A taproot and finer roots anchor the head and absorb water.
Habitat and origins
Habitat and originsLithops lesliei grows from southeastern Botswana into South Africa’s Free State, in dry shrubland and desert environments. Its low body and patterned upper surfaces suit a life close to the stony ground.
Habitat sources: [1]
What growth can look like
What growth can look like- Stage 1
Leaf body
A head maintains its paired leaves rather than a stem full of foliage.
- Stage 2
Internal renewal
Replacement leaves form within the old pair and draw on its reserves.
- Stage 3
New body exposed
The old leaves dry into a sheath; renewal may also produce extra heads.
Watch the tan and grey groups individually as their repeating leaf cycles unfold; new leaves matter more than the month.
Flowers
Typical L. lesliei flowers are yellow and emerge from the central fissure. Lithops blooms open on sunny afternoons, briefly turning an inconspicuous stone-like body into a conspicuous flower.
As it matures
A head stays low and compact, and successive leaf renewals can gradually produce a small cluster. Growth becomes especially easy to follow when the new fissure appears roughly at right angles to the old one.
Sources: [4]
Behind the name
The species first carried the name Mesembryanthemum lesliei in 1912; its accepted combination in Lithops followed in 1922.
Sources: [1]
Similar plants, useful clues
Lithops aucampiae
Also brown and channel-patterned, L. aucampiae overlaps in appearance with L. lesliei; surface markings alone can be difficult to separate.
Probable Lithops salicola ↗
The neighboring grey group has broader, more open windows than the tan patterned heads.
Comparison sources: [5]
This plant in the collection
Its story so far
Home Depot arrival
Purchased at Home Depot in Howell, Michigan, from Altman Plants nursery stock.
Collection record ↗Shared repot
Moved into the Blush Mauve planter with the other appearance group; all four heads were described as firm.
Collection record ↗
See the acquisition and repot photographs in the collection notes.
Explore the sources
Explore the sourcesNames and identification
| Kind | Record |
|---|---|
| Working species | Probable Lithops lesliei (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br. |
| Family | Aizoaceae |
| Common / nursery names | Living stones; Stone Faces |
| Seller identification | Lithops spp.; no species or cultivar supplied |
| Profile scope | The two tan/brown heads; rooted-individual count unverified |
| Native range of the proposed species | Southeastern Botswana to Free State, South Africa; collection provenance unknown |
The September 23 photographs show pale islands surrounded by darker window channels, favoring L. lesliei. L. aucampiae is a close alternative with overlapping brown patterns. Typical L. lesliei flowers are yellow; flowering would provide another feature to compare alongside the leaf surfaces.
Botanical context
Kew accepts Lithops lesliei as a succulent perennial, with the current name published in 1922 and its earlier Mesembryanthemum name published in 1912. Its documented wild range extends from southeastern Botswana into South Africa.
Lithops heads are paired succulent leaves with a fissure between them. Their translucent upper windows admit light into the leaf body. During renewal, the new leaf pair often has a fissure roughly at right angles to the old one. More than one head can form in a renewal cycle, gradually building a small cluster.
Shared container and collection evidence
This component belongs to the Lithops shared planter alongside probable Lithops salicola, the grey/green appearance group. The owner bought both nursery pots at Home Depot in Howell, Michigan, on September 21, 2026, and repotted them together on September 23. The aggregate page retains the original labels, whole-pot photographs, repot details and the measurement of one head whose species group was not recorded.
These heads share #9 / P35 with the grey/green group. Weights and watering apply to the whole planter, while leaf condition and replacement stage need individual inspection.
Owner photograph, September 23, 2026: full shared-pot view. The tan/brown patterned group is probable L. lesliei; the grey/green group belongs to the other component profile.
Care and watch points
Use the shared planter's care record and the short Lithops watering strategy. Inspect these two heads individually and compare their stage with the grey/green group before making a whole-pot watering decision.
The September 23 repot record describes all four heads as firm. On September 25, the owner again reported all four heads firm, including this tan/brown group; see the dated shared-pot update. No new medium-moisture observation accompanied that report. An aging outer pair can shrink as replacement leaves develop; that alone is not a thirst signal. Use actual root-zone dryness, current-leaf condition, and growth stage together. Acclimate to stronger light gradually, and compare photographs under similar lighting to follow changes in color and new growth.
Sources
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Lithops lesliei — accepted name, publication history, family, and native range; checked September 23, 2026.
- Keith Green: Lithops species descriptions — surface-pattern and flower comparisons.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Living Stones, Lithops — paired leaves, windows, multiple heads, leaf replacement, and light acclimation; seasonal examples are not a fixed indoor calendar.
- Shared-planter evidence — owner photographs, nursery labels, and dated P35 observations.
- Owner acquisition record, documented September 23, 2026: both Lithops nursery pots purchased at Home Depot, Howell, Michigan, on September 21.
Through the seasons
Plant Photo History
Botanical reference photos
Reference Gallery
Form and growth
Look closer
In the landscape
