Lithops naureeniae

This tiny Lithops naureeniae plant was spotted during October near Garies in Namaqualand. The species is variable, even though it is distributed in a rather small area, characterised by gneiss rocks.

The top of the leaf is shaped like a bisected ellipse. The lobe tops are dark green and translucent, slightly convex with a deep central fissure. Pressed together in this specimen, the lobes may be slightly divergent. The lobes that are about equal here may also be somewhat lopsided, one being smaller or lower. The margins and islands on the lobes are beige to pale grey.

The flower that will emerge from the fissure between the lobes is yellow with a white centre. Seed capsules have five locules, sometimes six or seven (www.floweringstones.co.za).