Description
Lithops schwantesii C077 (Mesembryanthemaceae). Truncate in profile, 20-40 mm long, 15-30 mm broad, tops of leaves flat to convex, fissure shallow, faces flush, mostly elliptic-reniform, top of lobe convex; in the young stage slightly rugulose which tends to disappear in the older stage, sides mauve-grey; window not evident or opaque; top of lobes grey-green, grey, yellowish-brown, yellow-reddish, all with a greenish tint or hue with broad darked lines and isolated red dots which are slightly sunk below the surface in depressions, the lines being the dominant feature, both with a slightly mauve-green border, giving the whole upper surface a suffused greenish tint. Sowing : The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the summer months when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the first 3-4 days cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shade cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on misting can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow. Locality: Helmeringhauser. Harvest: November 2019
