Shared planter and individual succulents
Plant 37 / 45
Shared planter and individual succulents
Plant 37 / 45
Probable Lithops salicola; cultivar unconfirmed
Lithops salicola
Species reference · Emőke Dénes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo Source ↗
Shared container · P35 · #9
Lithops shared planter · P35
2 botanical profiles · one container history
Lithops leslieiProbable Lithops lesliei; variety and cultivar unconfirmedLikely Match- Lithops salicolaProbable Lithops salicola; cultivar unconfirmedLikely MatchThis profile
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-15B
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 grey/green heads with relatively open olive-green upper windows and paler margins, photographed in the shared Blush Mauve pot on September 23, 2026.
One curious thing
One curious thingDid you know?
Wild Lithops salicola grows on low limestone ridges and slopes, including the margins of brackish pans in South Africa.
Explore This Plant
A closer look
How this plant works
How this plant worksBroad upper windows bring light into the grey-green leaf body, above a compact root system.
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 salicola is native to South Africa’s Northern Cape and Free State. It grows on low limestone ridges and slopes, sometimes beside brackish pans, where its small grey body blends into the surrounding ground.
What growth can look like
What growth can look like- Stage 1
Current leaf pair
The visible head holds water in its two fleshy leaves.
- Stage 2
Replacement within
A new body develops inside and uses reserves from the older pair.
- Stage 3
Renewed head
Old tissue becomes a dry sheath around the replacement growth.
Inspect the grey and tan heads individually as each moves through leaf replacement.
Flowers
Typical L. salicola flowers are white, a useful distinction from yellow-flowered lookalikes. After successful pollination, a Lithops seed capsule opens when wet so raindrops can splash seeds outward, then closes again as it dries.
As it matures
Small heads can multiply into a low clump as new leaf pairs replace older ones. Compare the top view over time to see changes in head number, window pattern and the direction of each fissure.
Behind the name
SANBI’s 2018 assessment lists wild L. salicola as Near Threatened, with habitat loss to crop cultivation affecting its restricted range.
Sources: [2]
Similar plants, useful clues
Lithops olivacea
Also has open olive windows, but typically produces a yellow flower with a white center.
Probable Lithops lesliei ↗
Some forms have open windows too; the tan patterned neighbors are another possible comparison.
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 salicola L.Bolus |
| Family | Aizoaceae |
| Common / nursery names | Living stones; Stone Faces |
| Seller identification | Lithops spp.; no species or cultivar supplied |
| Profile scope | The two grey/green heads; rooted-individual count unverified |
| Native range of the proposed species | Northern Cape to Free State, South Africa; collection provenance unknown |
The grey sides and open olive windows favor L. salicola. Similar windows occur in L. olivacea and some forms of L. lesliei. White flowers would favor L. salicola, whereas these alternatives usually have yellow flowers, sometimes with a white center.
Botanical context
Kew accepts Lithops salicola L.Bolus, published in 1936, as a succulent perennial native to South Africa's Northern Cape and Free State. SANBI describes its wild habitat as low limestone ridges or slopes, often beside brackish pans.
SANBI's 2018 assessment lists the wild species as Near Threatened, citing its restricted distribution and continuing habitat loss to crop cultivation.
Shared container and collection evidence
This component belongs to the Lithops shared planter alongside probable Lithops lesliei, the tan/brown appearance group. Both nursery pots were purchased at Home Depot in Howell, Michigan, on September 21, 2026, and combined on September 23. The planter contains four visible heads; their root connections remain unverified.
The aggregate page holds the original labels, photographs, repot record and the measurement of one head whose species group was not recorded.
These heads share #9 / P35 with the tan/brown 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 grey/green open-windowed group is probable L. salicola; the tan/brown 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 the grey and tan heads individually through leaf replacement, and reassess the shared arrangement if their watering needs diverge.
The September 23 repot record describes all heads as firm. On September 25, the owner again reported all four heads firm, including this grey/green group; see the dated shared-pot update. No new medium-moisture observation accompanied that report. Neither a dry-looking surface nor an old leaf pair shrinking around replacements independently calls for water. Check the root zone and current leaves together. Introduce stronger light gradually. Track firmness, scars and basal condition alongside the normal color differences between the two groups.
Sources
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Lithops salicola — accepted name, 1936 publication, family, and native range; checked September 23, 2026.
- SANBI Red List: Lithops salicola — wild habitat and the October 3, 2018 national assessment; checked September 23, 2026.
- Keith Green: Lithops species descriptions — surface-pattern and flower comparisons, with L. olivacea and L. lesliei as alternatives.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Living Stones, Lithops — light acclimation and leaf-cycle care; 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
Flowers and buds
