William John Burchell first collected Lithops in 1811, having nearly stepped on what he thought was a stone in the South African veld. The genus takes its name from the Greek for "stone-like," and the mimicry is genuine: each plant consists of just two thick succulent leaves, barely an inch above the soil, their surfaces patterned in grays, greens, and browns that match the decomposed granite, limestone, and shale of their native habitat. In the wild, average rainfall is under 20 inches a year, much of it arriving as coastal mist.

Successful cultivation depends almost entirely on following the plant's natural water rhythm. Water in late spring to early summer, stop entirely through the summer dormancy, resume every two weeks in late summer and fall as flowering begins, then withhold water again through winter and early spring while the old leaves die back and a new pair forms inside. A gritty cactus mix, bright morning light, and a sunny windowsill are all they need. The daisy-like flowers — yellow, white, or pale orange — emerge from the central fissure in fall and open only on sunny days.