Lithops amicorum
Origin:
Collected by Desmond T. and Naureen A. Cole on 3 May 2004. Named amicorum for the group of four friends who discovered it.
Distribution:
Namibia to the southeast of Aus, in three colonies, two of them on neighbouring quartzite ridges in close proximity to one another, the third about a kilometre away. It is possible that other colonies may occur on neighbouring farms.
Stone: Quartzite gravel, mostly opaque white, some pink, yellow; also some black or near black dolerite, and micaceous schist.
Description:
A very small and relatively uniform species. Predominantly greyish to blueish white in colour, usually with numerous small grey-white islands. This is the smallest species yet recorded, being rivalled only by L. dinteri subsp. frederici.
Profile mainly ±truncate to slightly convex, fissure deep, up to 5 mm; lobes conjunct.
Face flush, mostly elliptic; lobes mostly ± unequal in size, opaque, very slightly rugose.
Margins irregular, incised-sinuate; inner margins slightly more regular.
Windows very slightly impressed, sometimes open, usually with few to several islands.
Islands usually numerous, irregularly-shaped opaque areas enclosed by channels.
Rubrications faintly visible as slender lines, dots, dashes and hooks, reddish in colour.
Dusky dots not visible.
Colours: Face (margins and islands) opaque pale greyish white. Channels opaque pale bluish white. Shoulders as for the face.
Size: Very small to small, facial diameters up to 19 X 13 mm, mostly about 15-10 mm. Number of heads up to 4 or more, mostly 1 or 2.
Flowers:
White, very small to medium, rarely up to 30 mm Ø, mostly 20-25 mm Ø
Seed capsules mostly 5-merous (90%), rarely 6-merous (6%), otherwise 4- and 7- merous (4%). Profile boat-shaped, slightly convex. Face broadly elliptic, mostly 5 X 4 mm.
Seeds light yellow-brown; rugose 1. occasionally flecked.
* Information from CACTUS & Co, Vol. X, 1, pp 57-59 (2006)