Lithops amicorum is a small succulent plant with white flowers, one of the smallest in the genus. It was named for the group of four friends who discovered it. It was collected by Desmond T. and Naureen A. Cole on 3 May 2004.[1] After recent molecular analysis it was recombined to be a subspecies of Lithops karasmontana rather than its own species.[2]
| Lithops amicorum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lithops amicorum in cultivation | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Aizoaceae |
| Genus: | Lithops |
| Species: | |
| Trinomial name | |
| Lithops amicorum subsp. | |
Description edit
Lithops amicorum is a candidate for the smallest Lithops,[3] typically 10–15 millimeters in diameter.[1] Its leaves are whitish-grey, the translucent windows on the top faces marked with grey islands. Some plants have subtle dots or lines, sometimes reddish markings.[1] The fleshy succulent leaves occur in pairs, with one new pair growing each year and the older pair drying up. L. amicorum typically forms clumps with 2–4 leaf pairs.[3]
The flowers of L. amicorum are white and fairly small. The capsules are also small and nearly always have five locules.[3]
Known only from three colonies near Aus, L. amicorum is a Namibian endemic.[1][3]
Cultivar edit
Lithops amicorum has one named cultivar, 'Freckled Friend'. 'Freckled Friend' is a pattern-cultivar which has darker and more prominent markings than typical for the species.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Lithops amicorum". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ Loots, Sonja; Nybom, Hilde; Schwager, Michaela; Sehic, Jasna; Ritz, Christiane M. (2019). "Genetic variation among and within Lithops species in Namibia". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 305 (10): 985–999. doi:10.1007/s00606-019-01619-w. S2CID 208539499.
- ^ a b c d Hammer, S.A.; Barnhill, C. (2010). Lithops: Treasures of the Veld ; (observations on the Genus Lithops N. E. Br.). British Cactus and Succulent Society. ISBN 978-0-902099-92-0. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ Keith Green. "The International Cultivar Registration Authority Register and Checklist for the genus Lithops N.E.Br". Scrapbooklithops. Retrieved 2023-07-09.