steineckeana babies

These are actually not that young anymore (ca. 15 months). They have changed for the second time and are the most unusual looking Lithops I've ever seen. I assume they will only get stranger with time so I'm really looking forward to it (strange is good!). The patterns vary a lot. Most have this steineckeana marble stone like lines and the color to match (pic 3, left) but several clearly show some pseudotruncatella heritage. Sometimes it looks like the steineckeana pattern was pulled open in the middle to show the pseudotruncatella undergarments (see pic 2 middle and pic 4 upper part). There's even a plant that has steineckeana shape and sides but a pseudotruncatella top (pic 5)! I find it quite interesting. Speaking of shape, don't they look like some sci-fi alien sandworms smiling at you out of their earthholes? Not a nice thing to say probably, but I think it's absolutely adorable. : ) 

Look at the plant in the left corner - the fissure is just a small dot.

more greenies

The more common but not less beautiful lesliei greenies Albinica have also regenerated nicely. Some of them look big and strong enough so that I hope for flowers this year. The sun shines really bright these days. I've moved some of the greenies to the right and left corners of the windowsill. This way they should only get give or take 2/3 of the sunshine.

This is a 7x7x11 cm pot (with an Astroloba skinneri leaf to the left)

getting used to the sun

Because of a lot of direct sun on the windowsill my greenies tend to turn yellow or get pale. When I first bought these bromfieldii v. insularis 'Sulphurea' they seemed to be shocked by the new sunny conditions losing all the green color in favor of yellow. Looks like this year they've learnt how to deal with it. They have a strong chunky shape I like a lot. The color of the newest leaves has also turned out really nice and stays this way even though it's been very hot and sunny. Now only the fulvi 'Aurea' need to understand they won't get any shade no matter how pale they get.

Titanopsis primosii

I already own two cute Titanopsis calcarea plants but the leaf structure ist so interesting and unusual that I got another one. This one is a Titanopsis primosii and its leaves look like they were adorn with cyan colored beads. How does nature produce this stuff? :D

not wanting to grow up

This is one of the first plants, a lesliei of course, I've bought as adults and it had some growth issues from the start.
First it kept the short fissure for years. Then, last year, I've discovered it's getting two heads and thought "Finally something's happening." But as they came out they looked small and miserable, snuggling up to each other. Both heads had a half-fissure so that it looked like they're "sharing" it, clinging to their juvenile form. It wasn't until this year that it got over this stage.

Maybe it will even be ready for flowers in a couple of years. ;)

I've known them since they were seeds

My very first seedlings finally look like grown-ups. Now the only thing left is to see the flowers. Fingers crossed for this year ;)

Lesliei present a nice shape and a uniform color.

Aucampiae couldn't be more different despite the same Cole-Nr.

And there's only one from the pseudotruncatellas left.

(To see their progress click seedlings 2008 below)

unexpected find

Browsing through the succulent section of the local garden store lately I was very surprised to find this lovely specimen among the regular green salicola plants. Doesn't it look quite like the Bacchus cultivar? It's very small and a bit too long. Knowing my luck with salicolas its chances to thrive aren't that high, but way better than in the flower shop.

Yes, they sell lithops here sometimes but mostly very poorly grown, overwatered and hopeless.