Origin and Habitat: TL: 100 km ESE of Keetmanshoop, Namibia

• Lithops fulviceps var. lactinea C222 TL: 100 km ESE of Keetmanshoop, Namibia

• Lithops fulviceps N.E.Br.
• Mesembryanthemum fulviceps N.E.Br.
• Mesembryanthemum ortendahlii Dinter
• Lithops fulviceps C170 40 km N of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C219 (syn. lydiae) TL: 60 km N of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C220 TL: 75 km N of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C221 85 km N of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C266 65 km N of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C278 70 km W of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops fulviceps C284 15 km NE of Karasburg, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C390 30 km NW of Grünau, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C391 25 km NW of Grünau, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps C415 (pale Form) Near Fish River Canyons, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps var. lactinea D.T.Cole
• Lithops fulviceps var. lactinea C222 TL: 100 km ESE of Keetmanshoop, Namibia
• Lithops fulviceps var. laevigata D.T.Cole
• Lithops fulviceps var. laevigata C412 TL: 90 km NE of Pofadder, South Africa
• Lithops lydiae L. Bolus ex H.Jacobsen

• Lithops fulviceps C363 Locality unknown (Namibia) cv. Aurea (Y.Shimada) D.T.Cole
• Lithops fulviceps f. aurea Y.Shimada

Description: Lithops fulvicepsSN|12956]]SN|12956]] var. lactinea D.T.Cole is endemic to a very small area where it is found growing on a gentle limestone slope. This plant except for the face colour is the same as the type. Face is opaque, milky bluish or greenish or pinkish grey-white or grey with dusky dots mainly bluish green. Shoulders milky grey-white, or bluish grey-white. Rubrications yellowish or reddish orange, sometimes barely visible. It is a medium medium to large plant up to 40 X 30 mm wide. Usually few branched with up to 4 heads (or more in cultivation).
Desmond Cole field number C222: This population distinguishes for having pinkish milky grey bodies, red lines.

Notes: Lithops are partly subterranean, with only the clear 'window' in each leaf tip exposed above soil. A type of optical system exists whereby a layer of apical tissue rich in calcium oxalate crystals acts as a filter to intense sunlight before it reaches the thin chlorophyllous layer below. They are also called mimicry plants as they show a striking similarity to their background rocks and are difficult to detect when not in flower. These are the commonly known as pebble plants or living stones; each species is associated with one particular type of rock formation and occurs nowhere else. Its soil-embedded, subterranean growth form also reduces the need for chemical defences against herbivores.

Bibliography: Major refences and further lectures
1) Heidrun E. K. Hartmann “Aizoaceae F – Z” Springer 2002
2) Desmond T. Cole & Naureen A. Cole “LITHOPS Flowering Stones” Cactus & Co. Libri. 2005
3) Yasuhiko Shimada “The Genus Lithops” Dobun Shoin. 2001
4) Steven A. Hammer “Lithops – Treasures of the veld” British Cactus and Succulent Society. 1999

Cultivation and Propagation: The Lithops (a.k.a. Living Stones) are some of the world's most fascinating plants and are sought by the collector of succulent plants. Being small plants, a representative collection can be grown on a patio table, a sunny windowsill or a shelf in the greenhouse.
Soil: They grow best in an open mineral, sandy-gritty soil and requires good drainage as they are prone to root rot. They can grow outdoor in sunny, dry, rock crevices (protection against winter wet is required) They can also be cultivated in alpine house, in poor, drained soil.
Repotting: They may stay in the same pot for many years. Plants grown in larger containers have frequently relatively poor flowers. Flowers might improve when the plants are given their own, small individual pots.
Watering They Require little water otherwise the epidermis breaks (resulting in unsightly scars). The basic cultivation routine is: Stop watering after flowering. Start watering after the old leaves are completely dry (usually late March or Early April). Water freely during the growing season, soak the compost fully but allow it to dry out between waterings. In the winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, the plant in this time extracts water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away, relocating water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period. If grown in a container, bottom watering by immersing the container is recommended. Water sparingly only when warm, no water when cold. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation, especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid. They must have very dry atmosphere.
Fertilization: Feed them once during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents (high potash fertilizer with a dilute low nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label. They thrive in poor soils and need a limited supplies of fertilizer to avoid the plants developing excess vegetation, which is easily attacked by fungal diseases. Some growers fertilize frequently, some hardly ever. However, for the highly succulent mesembs, (Lithops, Conophytums etc.) fertilization is not really necessary.
Light: They prefer a very bright situation and in winter they need the maximum amount of light you are able to give them, but keep more cool and partially shaded in summer.
Hardiness: They require a minimum temperature 5°C (But will take a light frost and are hardy down to -7° C for short periods if they are in dry soil). USDA zones 9A – 11.
Uses: Container, rock garden.
Pests and diseases: They are vulnerable to mealybugs and rarely scale.
Remarks: After flowering in the autumn and extending through winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, but they will still be growing, the new bodies will be increasing in size extracting water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away. In fact the plant in this time extracts water and nutrient stored in the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to dehydrate relocating the water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period until the old leaves are reduced to nothing more than "thin papery shells".
Propagation: Seed or (or rarely) cuttings. The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the spring and 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 shadecloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on mistings can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow. Take the cuttings from a grown-up mother plant. Each cutting must contain one or more heads along with a fraction of root and permit them to dry out a couple of days, lay the cuttings on the soil and insert the stem end partially into the soil. Try to keep the cutting somewhat upright so that the roots are able to grow downward. It is relatively difficult to root lithops from cuttings and generally pointless as well, so quick are they from seed.