Dudleya abramsii subsp. calcicola

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Dudleya abramsii subsp. calcicola
Dudleya abramsii calcicola 206742990.jpg
The species at the end of its bloom, with a US quarter for scale.
Status TNC T4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Dudleya
Species:
Subspecies:
D. a. subsp. calcicola
Trinomial name
Dudleya abramsii subsp. calcicola
(Bartel & Shevock) K.M. Nakai
Synonyms

Dudleya calcicolaBartel & Shevock

Dudleya abramsiisubsp.calcicola is a succulent plant known by the common name limestone liveforever, or limestone dudleya. It is endemic to California, where it is a rare resident of limestone outcroppings and rocky slopes in the southern Sierra Nevada and nearby mountains and foothills. It was formerly regarded as Dudleya calcicola.

Contents

Description

Morphology

Growing in the crevice of a boulder Dudleya abramsii calcicola 172484796.jpg
Growing in the crevice of a boulder

The plant grows up to 50 densely packed caudices, upon which are the rosettes. The rosette contains leaves up to about 10 centimeters wide, each leaf blade-shaped to cone-shaped and up to 10 centimeters long and one wide. The leaves are fleshy and waxy, generally pale green, often tinted with pink or yellow. [2] [3] The waxy leaves are typical of Dudleya growing in rocky outcroppings. The plant grows in a habit similar to "cushion plants" of alpine environments. [4]

This species is very caespitose, with the rosettes clumping together Dudleya abramsii calcicola 206742907.jpg
This species is very caespitose, with the rosettes clumping together

From the rosette bolts an erect stem, which is a caudex topped with a multi-branched inflorescence. The stem and branches may be dark to very light and almost white in color. Each branch may be several centimeters long and bear two to eight flowers. The flowers are very pale yellow to reddish-yellow and have sharply pointed petals one to one and a half centimeters long. The keel is tinged a dark yellow to red. The plant flowers from May to June or July. [2] [3]

Detail of flowers Dudleya abramsii calcicola 172484780.jpg
Detail of flowers

Taxonomy

The plant was originally set to be described by Katharine Brandegee, upon collected specimens made by C. A. Purpus, but she failed to do so. Later, Reid Moran, an expert on the genus Dudleya, took note of the narrow leaves from the Purpus collection, but did not recognize it as distinct from Dudleya cymosa . [4]

The plant was formerly placed as a separate species, but recent taxonomic sources now regard it as a subspecies of Dudleya abramsii . It is recognized as being somewhat intermediate between Dudleya abramsii subsp. abramsii and Dudleyacymosa subsp. costatifolia or Dudleya cymosa subsp. cymosa. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Dudleya a. subsp. calcicola occurs predominantly on pre-Cretaceous limestones within chaparral or pinyon-juniper woodland at an elevation of 500 to 2600 meters. [2] [4] It exists throughout the southern Sierra Nevada, from the Rincon area south of Durrwood Creek in Tulare County to the southern Piute Mountains near Caliente Creek in Kern County. However, the area of limestone outcroppings is quite limited. [4]

Horticulture

The plant is not generally considered a good candidate for garden culture because of its requirement for limestone-based soils. [3] Off-road vehicle traffic and cattle grazing have had serious impacts on wild populations. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dudleya</i> North American succulent genus

Dudleya, commonly known as liveforevers is a genus of succulent plants in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, consisting of about 68 taxa in southwestern North America and Guadalupe Island. The species come in multiple divergent forms, some large and evergreen, others cryptic and deciduous, but despite their dramatic variations in appearance, most species readily hybridize. The flowers of Dudleya have parts numbered in 5, with the petals arranged in tubular, star-shaped, and bell-shaped forms, and when fruiting are filled with tiny, ovoid to crescent-shaped seeds.

<i>Dudleya abramsii <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> setchellii</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya abramsiisubsp. setchellii, known by common name as the Santa Clara Valley dudleya or Santa Clara Valley liveforever, is a member of the Dudleya genus of succulent perennials, members of the family Crassulaceae. The Santa Clara Valley dudleya, endemic to the Santa Clara Valley region in the southern San Francisco Bay Area, was listed on 3 February 1995, as an endangered species. It is considered to be a subspecies of Dudleya abramsii, but its taxonomic status is still unclear. Its closest relative is Dudleya cymosa subsp. paniculata, which is a morphologically similar sister taxon.

<i>Dudleya cymosa</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya cymosa is a species complex of evergreen and deciduous succulent plants in the family Crassulaceae known by the common name: canyon liveforever. It is a loosely defined polyphyletic species with a diverse number of subspecies, varying highly in morphology, distribution, and habitat.

<i>Dudleya densiflora</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya densiflora is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known commonly as the San Gabriel Mountains liveforever or San Gabriel Mountains dudleya. A very rare plant confined to the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California, it is known only from three to five spots in the mountain range, with an estimated 1,700 individual plants remaining. Growing in the cracks of the granite slopes of three canyons in this single mountain range, it is threatened by human activity such as rock quarrying and off-trail recreation.

<i>Dudleya palmeri</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya palmeri is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common name Palmer's liveforever. This Dudleya is endemic to California where it grows along the coast. It is characterized by orange to red over yellow or pink flowers. It is a polyploid species that closely resembles Dudleya lanceolata but has a coastal habit, and hybridizes with Dudleya caespitosa and Dudleya cymosa.

<i>Dudleya pulverulenta</i> Species of succulent plant found in the U.S. and Mexico

Dudleya pulverulenta is a species of perennial succulent plant known by the common names chalk lettuce, chalk dudleya, and chalk liveforever. It is one of the larger Dudleya, with a silvery, waxy rosette that may greatly contrast with its habitat. It is also regarded as one of the most distinctive members of the Dudleya, with the most advanced inflorescence in the genus, consisting of pendant, hummingbird pollinated flowers, the longest corolla, and the highest nectar output, along with the largest range of all the Dudleya, over 1000 kilometers, being found from Monterey County in California to the Sierra de San Borja in southern Baja California.

<i>Dudleya traskiae</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya traskiae is a rare succulent plant known by the common name Santa Barbara Island liveforever. This Dudleya is endemic to Santa Barbara Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on rocky bluffs. The plant has a basal rosette of flat, spade-shaped fleshy leaves up to 15 centimeters long, which are pale green to yellowish. It erects tall stems bearing dense, rounded inflorescences of many bright yellow flowers.

<i>Dudleya abramsii</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya abramsii is a species complex of succulent plants native to California and parts of Baja California. There are numerous subspecies, some critically endangered, with varying habits and lifestyles, but most often characterized by a smaller size, yellow flowers, and an affinity for rocky habitats. The subspecies may be polyphyletic.

<i>Dudleya verityi</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya verityi is a rare species of succulent plant known by the common name Verity's liveforever. It is endemic to Ventura County, California, where it is known from only three occurrences in the vicinity of Conejo Mountain between Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. It probably occurs in a few additional locations nearby which have not yet been officially vouchered.

Gilia yorkii is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Boyden Cave gilia and monarch gilia. It is endemic to Fresno County, California, where it is known from only one location in the southern Sierra Nevada. This plant grows in rock cracks in the limestone cliffs and outcrops in the chaparral and woodlands of the canyon.

<i>Dudleya pauciflora</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya pauciflora is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common name few-flower liveforever. It is characterized by its small, crowded rosettes of narrow leaves, and its colorful inflorescence with strongly red-marked yellow flowers. Found growing on rocky outcrops and cliffs in the high elevation mountains of the Sierra de San Pedro Martir and the Sierra de San Borja, it is endemic to the state of Baja California, Mexico.

<i>Dudleya arizonica</i> Species of perennial

Dudleya arizonica is a species of perennial succulent plant commonly known as the Arizona chalk dudleya and the Arizona liveforever. A member of the genus Dudleya, this species is characterized by long, red flowers that adorn a waxy rosette of succulent leaves. It resembles a reduced desert form of the more coastal chalk dudleya, Dudleya pulverulenta, but differs in its smaller stature, lower number of leaves, and orientation of the flowers. Native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, it is widespread in range, but is primarily found in scattered, widely separated localities. It can be found as far west as coastal Ensenada to the desolate desert ranges of Nevada. It is one of two species of Dudleya that occur in Arizona, the other being Dudleya saxosa subsp. collomiae, and is the only species on mainland Mexico and in Utah.

<i>Dudleya abramsii <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> abramsii</i> Subspecies of succulent plant

Dudleya abramsii subsp. abramsii is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common name as Abrams' liveforever. It is a small, delicate plant found growing among rocks, and is characterized by yellow flowers with a red tinge that emerge from May to July. It is native to the southern Sierra Nevada of California and the Peninsular Ranges across both the United States and Mexico.

<i>Dudleya abramsii <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> affinis</i> Subspecies of plant

Dudleya abramsii subsp. affinis, commonly known as the San Bernardino Mountains Dudleya, is a subspecies of succulent plant endemic to a portion of the San Bernardino Mountains in California. It is a plant with an unbranching stem and elliptical leaves occurring in Green Canyon and the nearby plateaus.

<i>Dudleya cymosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> paniculata</i> Species of succulent plant

Dudleya cymosa subsp. paniculata, known by the common name Diablo Range dudleya, is a species of perennial succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae native to the Inner South Coast Range of California. It is characterized by pale yellowish flowers, oblong to oblanceolate leaves and a growth habit not limited to a single substrate. It is closely related to Dudleya abramsii subsp. setchellii.

Dudleya cymosasubsp. costatifolia, known commonly as the Pierpoint Springs dudleya or the Pierpoint Springs liveforever, is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae, narrowly endemic to a locality in Tulare County, California, United States. It is a clumping plant with small rosettes and bright yellow flowers, resembling alpine "cushion plants."

<i>Dudleya cymosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> pumila</i> Subspecies of plant

Dudleya cymosasubsp. pumila, most commonly known as the low canyon dudleya, chalky canyon dudleya or California live-forever, is a species of perennial succulent plant. It has diamond to spoon shaped leaves, sometimes coated with a fine white powder, and in May through July, bright red, orange or yellow flowers adorn the short inflorescence. A leaf succulent primarily found growing in rocky cliffs and slopes, it is endemic to California, and grows in the Transverse Ranges and South Coast Ranges, with some outlying populations. A variable plant, in some localities it is difficult to distinguish from other plants in the genus.

<i>Dudleya cymosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> cymosa</i> Subspecies of succulent perennial plant

Dudleya cymosasubsp. cymosa is a species of succulent perennial plant in the family Crassulaceae native to California. It is the autonymous subspecies for Dudleya cymosa, and is known by the common name canyon liveforever. It is native to the California Coast Ranges, the Sierra Nevada and the Santa Monica Mountains. It is characterized by bright-yellow, orange or red flowers and broad, wide leaves. This plant is commonly found growing on rocky outcrops, talus slopes, and in shaded canyons.

<i>Dudleya cymosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> marcescens</i> Subspecies of deciduous succulent plant

Dudleya cymosa subsp. marcescens is a species of summer-deciduous succulent plant known commonly as the marcescent dudleya or marcescent liveforever. Throughout the months of spring, it is characterized by a bloom of small, bright-yellow flowers with 5 petals, tinged with orange or red. It is a leaf succulent with a basal rosette, with the foliage withering in summer, going completely leafless, a neotenous trait in the genus. This species is endemic to the exposed volcanic rock of the Santa Monica Mountains in California, being found on shady slopes and outcroppings. It differs from its local congeners with its deciduous habit, slender caudex, and narrower leaf shape, although it is superseded in some of these characteristics by Dudleya parva, growing 13 km to the north, which has even narrower leaves and is quicker to lose them. Because of its restricted distribution and small size, it is vulnerable to habitat degradation and disturbance from acts of graffiti and rock climbers. It is listed as threatened by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

<i>Dudleya cymosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> agourensis</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Dudleya cymosasubsp. agourensis, commonly known as the Agoura Hills dudleya or Agoura Hills liveforever, is a species of perennial succulent plant. A rare and critically imperiled species from the Santa Monica Mountains in California, it is characterized by glaucous, gray-purple leaves, bright yellow flowers, and ascending bracts. A leaf succulent, it is found growing on west to northwest-facing open, rocky volcanic slopes.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 3 4 McCabe, Stephen Ward (2012). "Dudleya abramsii subsp. calcicola". Jepson eFlora. Archived from the original on 2017-08-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thomson, Paul H. (1993). Dudleya and Hasseanthus Handbook. Bonsall, CA: Bonsall Publications. ISBN   978-0960206650.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bartel, Jim; Shevock, James (November 1983). "Dudleya calcicola (Crassulaceae), a new species from the southern Sierra Nevada". Madroño . 30: 210–216 via ResearchGate.