Lithops werneri
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Lithops werneri faces severe pressure from illegal collection for the international succulent trade, with entire populations being harvested from their natural habitat. Mining activities and infrastructure development in Namibia's mineral-rich regions directly destroy the specialized quartz gravel substrates where these living stones occur. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the delicate moisture balance these drought-adapted plants require for survival.
Habitat
Lithops werneri inhabits extremely arid quartz gravel plains and rocky outcrops in the Namib Desert of southwestern Namibia. These living stones grow embedded in specialized mineral substrates that provide both camouflage and the precise drainage conditions essential for their survival in one of Earth's most extreme desert environments.