Lithops - Flowering Stones

The genus Lithops belongs into the plant family of Mesembryanthemaceae (midday flowers) - well known by the short term 'Mesembs' to the amateurs of these succulents. The name 'Lithops' (derived from Greek 'lithos' = stone and 'opsis' = appearance) itself hints at the amazing resemblance between the plants and the stones surrounding them; it is this particular phenomenon which allows them to employ one of their most obvious survival strategies. The otherwise defenceless plants have developed forms and features adapting them to their physical environment with such perfection that it is extremely difficult to spot them in habitat.