7 big pitfalls to avoid in Lithops cultivation

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Image and text: Curator

Dark Wine-Red

Dark Wine-Red

Dark Wine-Red is the only horticultural variety among Lithops that is precisely defined as wine-red. Besides, its name literally means wine-red! If you don't believe it, go translate it yourself. However, since people first came to know this variety, countless complaints have been heard about these issues:

1. Why isn't Dark Wine-Red purple at all! It must be fake!

2. Why isn't Dark Wine-Red a full window! It must be fake!

3. Isn't Dark Wine-Red just Purple (purpurascens)? Where does this Dark Wine-Red julii come from? Riding on the Dark Wine-Red name for fame is really disgusting! It must be fake!

4. Dark Wine-Red... why is it different from what I imagined! Fake, fake, fake!

The following are all the true forms of Dark Wine-Red! Please compare for yourself what true Dark Wine-Red really is!

KO julii

Countless times I've seen dialogues like this:

1. Full-window julii is KO.

2. KO is the horticultural name for the most beautiful full-window julii.

3. KO is the abbreviation for full window.

4. Only KO julii is full-window julii; all others are large-window julii.

...Let me eat a spicy strip to calm my shock...

1. There is no such horticultural julii name as KO in the world; KO is just a codename we find easy to say.

2. KO julii refers to some julii cultivated by Buys Wiese in the Kokerboom

Nursery greenhouse in South Africa (no special selection! No claim of full window!). And the current KO julii basically all come from the full-window julii that Belgium RSA brought from BW and

selected from julii, with extreme full windows, dark red window color, and an obvious velvety texture on the window surface when molting (julii split into two types when molting, velvety and glossy smooth, which is normal for julii, not a KO patent...).

The following is Belgium RSA's own name and description for the "KO" they sell:

3. It is undeniable that KO julii is an extreme representative of full-window julii, but it can only represent itself. Meanwhile, ROW (Red Open Window), which represents bright red, Nugget, which represents chocolate color, and Corona, which represents dark color, are all different from KO. Each has its own style (personal preferences differ; those who like KO regard KO as the pinnacle, while I, who like ROW, love only ROW).

Café au lait

People are used to calling Café au lait C309a...

But in reality there is no such number as C309a, and Café au lait is not entirely selected from 309.

In Europe, 385, 367, and a very small number of 262 are also selection stock for Café au lait. Because they can also show the pinkish frosting characteristic of Café au lait.

Café au lait also has wil~d ones~

Café au lait is mainly divided into the European version and the Japanese version, and their selection directions differ slightly. Early European Café au lait mainly favored selecting milky... favoring white frost, so in early Europe Café au lait was also called coffee & milk.

What we come into contact with more often is the Café au lait selected in the direction of a certain Mr. Tada in Japan; his has milky frost floating on an orange window surface, which I personally think looks better.

Three Great Chrysanthemums

(Kiku-meisho (Kikushogyoku), Red Window Jade, Kiku Fossil)

I want to talk about this pitfall not to teach any profound knowledge... but because you all call it C309a, which has caused C309 prices to become expensive and soar! I originally couldn't afford Café au lait, and now even buying some 309 to hope they show the frosting characteristic of Café au lait, this last chance... is gone too!

I remember this is also a question that Lithops beginners have debated for a long time...

1. What exactly is Kikushogyoku, what is Kiku-meisho, what is Kiku Fossil!?

2. Do they come from the same variety!?

3. Why are their prices different? Which is more "precious"!?

First, Kiku-meisho is Kikushogyoku; it's just a different translation. Kiku-meisho is the selection ancestor of Red Window Jade and Kiku Fossil, but the parent information is unknown.

Then, Kiku-meisho and Red Window Jade were bred by Tony Sato, and afterward carried forward by Grandpa Shim~ada! And Grandpa Shim~ada bred Kiku Fossil from them!

But, here comes the key point! You must understand that Red Window Jade and Kiku Fossil both come from selection of Kiku-meisho. In other words, all three are the same variety!

You can understand it as:

1. Those with a red base on the window surface and clear vein patterns are Kiku-meisho.

2. Those with a full-window red base, fine dense lines, not requiring unclearness, even without lines (Kiku-meisho), are Red Window Jade.

3. Those where the red base on the window surface is not obvious or there is no red base at all, and the vein patterns are rough, clear and deep, even with bumps (Kiku-meisho), are Kiku Fossil.

The Kiku Fossil in the chart is still not very obvious. The image below will very clearly explain what Kiku Fossil is:

For now, regardless of whether it looks good or not, the key point is the display of characteristics!

So, theoretically speaking, if you sow Kiku-meisho seeds in large quantities, all three of the above varieties will appear~

P.S. Red Window Jade and Kiku Fossil are both reselection varieties of Kiku-meisho. Considering the hard work of reselection, being a bit more expensive... is understandable.

Although Kiku-meisho is judged by its window, body color is also an important expression. Many domestic (not sure if randomly hybridized) Kiku-meisho have gray-green body color; the body color of Grandpa Shim~ada's and several domestic masters' excellent purified and cultivated Kiku-meisho is eggshell yellow, which complements the red window surface and looks much better.

"Inca Gold"

Occasionally someone mentions this horticultural variety with an earth-shattering name...

"Global limited rare horticultural species, limited quantity! Very beautiful! Even rarer than C1a! Inca Gold! Only XXXX yuan/10 seeds, 20 seeds!"

Let me hold onto the wall; I got a shock.

Inca Gold, a hybrid mixed horticultural variety of yellow-green purpurascens.

So how was it hybridized? That's right, it's just two yellow-green purpurascens horticultural varieties with different flower colors crossbred with each other!

Simply put, when 36a and 36b flower and pollinate each other, you produce Inca Gold!

So how long can Inca Gold stay golden? About 3~5 years. Once they flower, those with white flowers can still be classified as 36a, and those with yellow flowers can still be classified as 36b.

The only fun part of this variety is that in the years before flowering, you can full of expectation guess which ones will bloom white and which ones will bloom yellow...

It also shows that a good name is not necessarily really good...

C187 Purple Curve

I can only say that because of "Purple Curve," 187 became popular.

"The world's only Purple Curve! Agate Jade (what a high-end name)! You are my~ little~ Purple Curve~ Purple purple purple purple purple."

Haha... I'm being naughty again.

That's right, C187 is a very unique variety among Lithops, elisabethiae (at least it has its own independent "name" from Cole). And mesa's description of it is 'large pink bodies' (body color very pink). Strictly speaking, the pink individuals of 187 should be called Pink Curve.

Originally there was no pitfall here, but recently more and more people are bringing a bunch of random julii to ask "Is this 187?", or more and more "C187" are being sold... So, the pitfall appears.

First, always remember one characteristic: julii is changeable! Even if it is julii from the same number and collected from the same place, the individuals sown will be diverse. So... 187 is not necessarily purple.

Second, there is currently no horticultural variety or selection direction for Purple Curve... Not all purple julii are 187. Due to photography angle and lighting issues, C99 and C100 can also look very much like 187.

So, do not blindly worship C187~ It is important to clearly see the seed source and selection direction.

I don't care how your C187 is~ Anyway, mine has both good patterns and good body color~ Hahaha.

Zorro

Zorro, a window-surface selection and cultivation form of Lithops pseudotruncatella. It is named because the window surface is basically without a base and its patterns resemble Zorro's classic lightning pattern. Anyone who knows even a little about Zorro knows. Zorro can absolutely be considered one of the biggest pitfalls in the Lithops world!

Because it is essentially still an ordinary Lithops pseudotruncatella, its window surface is extremely changeable. The probability of "degenerating" into ordinary Lithops pseudotruncatella is very high. And Lithops pseudotruncatella can bring different patterns with every molting...

Do you know that feeling? 70 percent fate, 30 percent luck...

That describes the sowing experience of Zorro. And it can only be confirmed after the patterns stabilize three years later...

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