Strangely enough there seems to be very little knowledge about how plants are getting pollinated and are setting fruits. This pops up again and again in Lithops discussion groups where people ask how to get seeds on Lithops plants, yet Lithops are not different from other plant species.
Make no mistake: it is all about sex! Flowers are the reproductive organs of plants. Nothing more nothing less.
I'm giving you some links to youtube footage which very well explains the sexual reproduction in flowering plants. Have a look at them so you will have a good idea what is needed and what is happening.
| Link 1 => Flower pollination 1 | Link 2 => Flower pollination 2 | Link 3 => Flower pollination 3 |
So one needs to take pollen from one flower to "inseminate" the flower of the receiving plant. This is because Lithops are not "auto-fertile" which means that a plant cannot inseminate its own flower with its own pollen.
The unfortunate thing is that a very large range of Lithops species can "interbreed". This means that two different species can produce a seeds capsule containing viable seeds. By definition these are "hybrid" seeds generating "bastard" plants ie plants from mixed parental origin. A lot of commercial "no-name" plants may be generated in such way because seeds can be "made" in an easy way and at no cost.
This also implies that begging for an "identification" of such no-name plants is a very bad idea as later on, the "soiled" genetic material maybe used to contaminate true species yielding "bastard" plants under a true name!!! Unfortunately people seem to refuse to acknowledge this info and keep on asking for an "ID" on a bought "no-name" plant!
A lot of people "help" by identifying such no-name plants by visual "recognition" of specific true species patterns. I'll let you judge yourself about such "visonary" skills. The word "tea leaves" comes to mind.
It is important to know and to anticipate the flowering period by (gradually and more strongly in time) watering the plants (see "watering angst"). This will poke up their metabolism and provide enough energy to produce flowers. At the same time it will give the plant the ability to build up reserves to make it through the winter and produce new leaves with minimal losses.
I see a lot of pictures where plants are flowering "out of misery" rather than "out of joy" ... as if saying "ok, I'll flower a last time before I die" so at least there is a chance for offspring. It is something to keep in mind!
It may be interesting to know that Lithops flowers also mature from the first time they open till they wilt.
Initially the pistil is (almost) completely hidden by the anthers and one must poke into that mass to find the top of the pistil. When the flowers mature with time, the stamen do open up showing the pistil as one can see below. Flowers will also grow when they mature, ie they become larger and larger every time they open.
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After successful insemination the ovary is swelling and quickly producing a "seeds nursery", the unripe seed pod. The wilted flower remains are still attached to the pod but can be easily removed showing the young fruit.
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Additional note for your awareness:
In order to avoid "Asian" scams with buying seeds, here are some true forms and sizes of true Lithops seeds for your guidance and information. Of course one cannot see what seeds one will receive when buying from some sources on the internet like Amazon, Aliexpress and other dubious sellers, but pictures below may help in quickly spotting "fake" Lithops seeds. Try to spot and buy from reliable seed sellers!
- One may use a magnifying glass to have a close look. Largest Lithops seeds are 0.6 to 0.7 mm in diameter.
- If you don't need a magnifying glass then they are most probably not Lithops seeds but something else. Oxalis seeds seem to be popular by the scammers. ... or birds seed!
- Those blue squares in the grid are 1 square millimeter.
