Living Stones

Start your own collection of the most water-wise plants around - Lithops

-  MADISON MOULTON

If you've ever strolled around the succulent section of your local garden centre, you may have noticed a group of interesting plants that don't quite look like anything else. They have been likened to animal hooves, brains and most commonly, stones, leading to one of their common names - living stones.

These fascinating characters are part of the Lithops genus, native to dry and drought-stricken regions of southern Africa. The genus name originates from Greek for 'stone face' - certainly an apt description for these stoic plants.