Origin and Habitat: South Africa, Cape province, widespread in a large quadrangular area comprised between Niekerkshoop, Upington, Prieska Kenhardt, and a point 70 km North-West of Upington.
Type Locality: 'near Upington, on a low ridge, in quartz' (C059).
Habitat: Grows in flat open areas on stony and gravelly soils comprising: pegmatite, quartzite, calcrete, jaspilite and quartz feldspar rocks. Background colours grey-white, grey, brown, pink with some red, black, yellow or grey-brown.

• Lithops hallii var. ochracea (de Boer) D.T.Cole
• Lithops fulleri var. ochracea de Boer

• Lithops hallii de Boer
• Lithops hallii C022 55 km SW of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C045 15 km SW of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C050 15 km SE of Strydenburg, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C052 25 km SSE of Hopetown, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C087 (syn. salicola reticulata) TL: 30 km SE of Hopetown, South Africa
• Lithops salicola var. reticulata C087 (syn. Lithops hallii ) TL: 30 km SE of Hopetown, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C087A (Grey form) TL: 30 km SE of Hopetown, South Africa
• Lithops salicola var. reticulata C087
• Lithops hallii C090 50 km NW of Hopetown, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C094 45 km SE of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C119 30 km WSW of Strydenburg, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C135 (brown Form) 20 km SE of Strydenburg, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C136 (brown Form) 35 km ENE of Strydenburg, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C158 55 km ENE of Vanwyksvlei, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C174 25 km SE of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C176 20 km SE of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C318 45 km SSW of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii C375 55 km N of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea (de Boer) D.T.Cole
• Lithops fulleri var. ochracea de Boer
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C039 5 km NE of Groblershoop, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C059 TL: 10 km NW of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C098 50 km NNW of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C111 35 km WNW of Prieska, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C142A 30 km NW of Niekerkshoop, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C303 30 km E of Kenhardt, South Africa
• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C372 15 km SW of Upington, South Africa
• Lithops salicola var. reticulata de Boer

• Lithops hallii var. ochracea C111A 35 km WNW of Prieska, South Africa cv. Green Soapstone D.T.Cole

Description: Lithops halliiSN|13057]]SN|13057]] var. ochracea is a very pretty distinct variety of the variable Lithops halliiSN|13057]]SN|13057]] and is quite variable too. The names comes from the Latin for “ochre-coloured” (reddish) for its more red-brown, opaque colouration and is distinguished from the type plant by markings on the windows.
Habit: It forms small clumps with usually 2-3 heads, but occasionally with up 6 or more heads.
Bodies (paired leaves): Medium to large, profile one-shaped, or obconic, truncate, diameter of the face about 20-30 mm. Broadly kidney shaped, top surface truncate, mostly flat, sometimes slightly convex; fissure shallow, 4-7 mm; lobes conjunct. Face flush somewhat reniform; lobes equal-unequal; opaque, slightly rugose. Margins distinct regular to somewhat dentate sometimes with a few peninsulas. This species is fairly easy to identify and shows shades of reddish-brown with regular fine to broad interlacing network of blood-red or brown channels with few or many mostly small islands with scattered dots, dashes and hooks, occasionally with some longer lines forming a broken network and fairly distinct irregularly dentate margins. Windows and channels greenish, red-brown, reddish blue, orange-brown, or brownish grey. Shoulders as for the margins, or lighter, or milky, beige, orange or brownish grey. Rubrications bright to dull blood-red or orange-red.
Flowers: The blooms are white, medium to very large, (20-)25-35(-45) mm in diameter.
Blooming season: Autumn.
Fruits: (5-)6(-7)-chambered capsules up to 6-10 mm long 4-6,5 mm wide, boat-shaped, top flat to slightly convex. Face narrowly elliptic about 8 x 6 mm broad.
Seeds: Light yellow-brown to yellow-brown, smooth and flecked.
Remarks: After flowering in the autumn and extending through winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, but they will still be growing, the new bodies will be increasing in size extracting water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away. In fact the plant in this time extracts water and nutrient stored in the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to dehydrate relocating the water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period until the old leaves are reduced to nothing more than "thin papery shells".

Bibliography: Major refences and further lectures
1) Heidrun E. K. Hartmann “Aizoaceae F – Z” Springer 2002
2) Achim Hecktheuer “Mesembs, mehr als nur Lithops” Books on Demand GmbH Norderstedt. 2008
3) Desmond T. Cole & Naureen A. Cole, Uwe Beyer, Yves Delange “Les Lithops” SUCCULENTES Spécial 2008 AIAPS (now Terra seca). 2008
4) Desmond T. Cole & Naureen A. Cole “LITHOPS Flowering Stones” Cactus & Co. Libri. 2005
5) Yasuhiko Shimada “The Genus Lithops” Dobun Shoin. 2001
6) Rudolf Heine “Lithops - Lebende Steine” Neumann Verlag. 1986
7) Bernd Schlösser “Lithops – Lebende Steine” Praktische Anleitung für die Zimmerkultur. BussinessPoint MEDIA. 2000
8) Steven A. Hammer “Lithops – Treasures of the veld” British Cactus and Succulent Society. 1999
9) Desmond T. Cole “Lithops – Flowering Stones” Acorn Books 1988
10) Rudolf Heine “Lithops – lebende Steine” Neumann Verlag. 1986
11) David L. Sprechman “Lithops” Associated University Presses, Inc. 1970
12) Gert Cornelius Nel “Lithops” Hortors Limited, South Africa 1946
13) Edgar Lamb "The illustrated reference on cacti and other succulents" Blandford Press. 1978
14) Christopher Brickell, Royal Horticultural Society "RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants: K-Z., Volume 2" Kindersley, 2008
15) G. C . Nel “Lithops: Plantae succulantae, rarissimae, in terra obscuratae, e famailia Aizoaceae, ex Africa australi” Hortors Limited, Cape Town, South Africa 1946
16) Heidrun E. K. Hartmann "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae F-Z" Springer, 2002
17) Steven A. Hammer "Lithops: Joyaux du veld" Editions Quae, 25/nov/2010

Cultivation and Propagation: The Lithops (a.k.a. Living Stones) are some of the world's most fascinating plants and are sought by the collector of succulent plants. Being small plants, a representative collection can be grown on a patio table, a sunny windowsill or a shelf in the greenhouse.
Soil: They grow best in an open mineral, sandy-gritty soil and requires good drainage as they are prone to root rot. They can grow outdoor in sunny, dry, rock crevices (protection against winter wet is required) They can also be cultivated in alpine house, in poor, drained soil.
Repotting: They may stay in the same pot for many years. Plants grown in larger containers have frequently relatively poor flowers. Flowers might improve when the plants are given their own, small individual pots.
Watering They Require little water otherwise the epidermis breaks (resulting in unsightly scars). The basic cultivation routine is: Stop watering after flowering. Start watering after the old leaves are completely dry (usually late March or Early April). Water freely during the growing season, soak the compost fully but allow it to dry out between waterings. In the winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, the plant in this time extracts water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away, relocating water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period. If grown in a container, bottom watering by immersing the container is recommended. Water sparingly only when warm, no water when cold. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation, especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid. They must have very dry atmosphere. But don't be afraid even the best growers have plants that mysteriously dry up, or leave during the night.
Fertilization: Feed them once during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents (high potash fertilizer with a dilute low nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label. They thrive in poor soils and need a limited supplies of fertilizer to avoid the plants developing excess vegetation, which is easily attacked by fungal diseases. Some growers fertilize frequently, some hardly ever. However, for the highly succulent mesembs, (Lithops, Conophytums etc.) fertilization is not really necessary.
Light: They prefer a very bright situation and in winter they need the maximum amount of light you are able to give them, but keep more cool and partially shaded in summer.
Hardiness: They require a minimum temperature 5°C (But will take a light frost and are hardy down to -7° C for short periods if they are in dry soil). USDA zones 9A – 11.
Uses: Container, rock garden.
Pests and diseases: They are vulnerable to mealybugs and rarely scale.
Remarks: After flowering in the autumn and extending through winter season the plant doesn’t need watering, but they will still be growing, the new bodies will be increasing in size extracting water from the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to shrivel away. In fact the plant in this time extracts water and nutrient stored in the outer succulent leaves, allowing them to dehydrate relocating the water to the rest of the plant and to the new leaves that form during this period until the old leaves are reduced to nothing more than "thin papery shells".
Propagation: Seed or (or rarely) cuttings. The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the spring and summer months when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the first 3-4 days cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shadecloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on mistings can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow. Take the cuttings from a grown-up mother plant. Each cutting must contain one or more heads along with a fraction of root and permit them to dry out a couple of days, lay the cuttings on the soil and insert the stem end partially into the soil. Try to keep the cutting somewhat upright so that the roots are able to grow downward. It is relatively difficult to root lithops from cuttings and generally pointless as well, so quick are they from seed.
Improvement of Lithops characteristics: Some growers (but not all!!) think it is very intriguing to reinforce any characteristic of cultivated Lithops of by crossing two similar selected plants and then back-crossing with the mother plant. This way we can eventually get some interesting results. Of course, many of the nicest Lithops we grow in cultivation have already been selected over time. However many Lithops are already nice plants which can’t really be improved, on the other hand one could try to improve the colour or the markings etc. Now if we have two particular plants we may attempt to breed between them and can maybe get a whole improved population and then select some better offspring to continue the selection.