Lithops francisci
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Lithops francisci faces severe pressure from illegal collection for the international succulent trade, with entire populations being harvested from their natural habitat. Habitat degradation from overgrazing by livestock and infrastructure development further threatens the remaining fragmented populations. Climate change poses an additional risk through altered precipitation patterns that could disrupt the species' highly specialized water-dependent lifecycle.
Habitat
Lithops francisci inhabits arid quartz fields and rocky outcrops in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, where it grows embedded in quartzite gravel and receives minimal annual rainfall. The species requires very specific soil conditions with excellent drainage and camouflages perfectly among the surrounding quartzite pebbles.