Dudleya multicaulis

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Dudleya multicaulis
Many-stemmed dudleya 1.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Dudleya
Species:
D. multicaulis
Binomial name
Dudleya multicaulis
(Rose) Moran
Synonyms [2]
  • Hasseanthus elongatusRose
  • Hasseanthus multicaulisRose
  • Hasseanthus oblongorhizus(A.Berger) P.H.Thomson
  • Sedum oblongorhizumA.Berger
  • Sedum sanctae-monicaeA.Berger

Dudleya multicaulis is a succulent plant known by the common name manystem liveforever or many-stemmed dudleya. This Dudleya is endemic to southern California, where it is rare and seriously threatened as its habitat is altered by humans. Many occurrences of this species have been extirpated. This species is characterized by a few short, fingerlike cylindrical leaves with pointed tips, and its erect peduncle, which is topped with a branching inflorescence bearing up to 15 flowers on each long, thin branch. The flowers, which appear in late spring, have pointed yellow petals and long stamens. It is usually found on heavy clay or rocky soils and outcrops. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Morphology

Dudleya multicaulis is thought to represent the most basal member of the Dudleya subgenus Hasseanthus, which are characterized by paedomorphic adaptations including vernal foliage and an underground, tuberous caudex also seen in Dudleya seedlings. [5] The caudex has been reduced to a subterranean structure roughly equivalent to a corm. The corm has an oblong shape, and measures 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in) long by 3–18 mm (0.12–0.71 in) wide. The leaves are arranged in 1 to 4 rosettes which are 2–6 cm (0.79–2.36 in) wide. The 5 to 15 green leaves are summer deciduous, with their surfaces not or somewhat glaucous. The leaves are shaped cylindric and linear except at the base, with the bases flushing with purple-red when the leaves are detached or damaged at that point. The leaves measure 4–15 cm (1.6–5.9 in) long by 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) wide, with the base 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) wide, and the tip of the leaf sharply acute. [3] [4]

The inflorescence is on a peduncle 4–20 cm (1.6–7.9 in) high and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide. There are 7 to 18 strongly ascending bracts, with a similar linear shape to the rosette leaves. The inflorescence may first branch 2 or more times, and then subsequently rebranch 0 to 1 more times. The terminal branches (cincinni) are 2–10 cm (0.79–3.94 in) long, and have 3 to 15 flowers, which are suspended on pedicels 0.5–3 mm (0.020–0.118 in) long. [3] [4]

The flowers are odorless. The petals are connate for 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in), and spread from the near middle, colored a bright yellow to a fading pale-yellow, and often lined-red at the keel. The petals are shaped elliptic-lanceolate and measure 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long by 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide. The apex of the petals is acute. The sepals measure 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and are shaped deltate-acute. The corolla measures 12–18 mm (0.47–0.71 in) in diameter. The pistils are connate for 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) and are ascending. The ovaries are 3.5–6 mm (0.14–0.24 in) long, while the styles are 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in). Flowering is in late spring from May to June. [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

Dudleya multicaulis is endemic to the Los Angeles coastal plain and the adjacent hills, parts of the Transverse and Peninsular ranges, and south towards northern San Diego County. It is distributed in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego counties, and historically, San Bernardino County. There are 31 extant occurrences of this species, 41 occurrences of unknown status, and at least 31 or more extirpated occurrences. D. multicaulis is primarily found on heavy soils, usually clay, rocky hillsides, and sandstone outcrops. Because of the urbanization of habitat, the species is declining. [1] [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<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 blochmaniae</i> Species of deciduous succulent plant from North America

Dudleya blochmaniae is a summer-deciduous succulent plant known by the common names Blochman's liveforever or Blochman's dudleya. This species of Dudleya survives part of the year with no aboveground presence, surviving as underground corm-like roots in deciduous months. It is characterized by white, star-shaped and spreading flowers that emerge after sufficient rainfall. It is found along the Pacific coast of the California Floristic Province, from the vicinity of San Luis Obispo in California to Punta Colonet in Baja California.

<i>Dudleya caespitosa</i> Species of coastal succulent plant from North America

Dudleya caespitosa is a succulent plant known by several common names, including sea lettuce, sand lettuce, and coast dudleya. It is endemic to California, where it grows along the coastline in the southern half of the state. Taxonomically, this species is a highly variable complex of polymorphic and polyploid plants, closely related to numerous neighboring species such as Dudleya farinosa, Dudleya greenei and Dudleya palmeri. It is delimited from neighboring species on an arbitrary basis of distribution and chromosome number, and may not be immediately separable from the other species it approaches.

<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 farinosa</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya farinosa is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known by several common names, including bluff lettuce, powdery liveforever, and powdery dudleya. A coastal plant of northern California and southern Oregon, it is typically found on oceanic bluffs just directly above the reach of the waves. Its appearance is characterized by lotus-like rosettes of beveled leaves, and in summer the plant erects a tall pink to red stem densely covered in foliage, topped with branches adorned with pale yellow flowers. The green or white rosettes of this plant can be seen covering stretches of rocky coast and nearby islets.

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

Dudleya lanceolata is a succulent plant known by the common name lanceleaf liveforever or lance-leaved dudleya. It is an extremely variable and widely ranging species that occurs from Monterey County and Kern County in California south through Ensenada in Baja California. It is characterized by green to purple lanceolate leaves, red, orange, or less commonly yellow petals, and is typically tetraploid. Despite its diversity, it is quite stable as a species, but hybrids may be discovered with other species of Dudleya, which can make it difficult to discern in areas where numerous species converge.

<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 largest 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 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), being found from southern Monterey County in California to the Sierra de San Borja in southern Baja California.

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

Dudleya stolonifera is a succulent plant known by the common name Laguna Beach liveforever or Laguna Beach dudleya. This is a rare plant which is endemic to the coastline of Orange County, California. It is known from only about six populations in the vicinity of Laguna Beach, totaling about 30,000 individuals. It is federally listed as a threatened species of the United States.

<i>Dudleya brevifolia</i> Rare, small species of succulent plant found in San Diego County

Dudleya brevifolia, is a rare succulent plant known by the common name short-leaved liveforever, short-leaved dudleya or rarely the Del Mar Hasseanthus. It is an edaphic endemic that only grows on the mesas of the most ancient marine terraces, hiding in the vicinity of ironstone concretions. The leaves are deciduous, and disappear after the inflorescence develops. The small white flowers are star-shaped with a yellow center. After flowering, any above ground trace of the plant will disappear, and it survives under the earth with a starch-rich subterranean caudex. Dudleya brevifolia is only found on coastal mesas along a small strip of coast in San Diego County, California.

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

Dudleya greenei is a perennial species of succulent plant known by the common names Greene's liveforever, or Greene's dudleya. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows along the cliffs of four of the eight islands. It is a highly variable plant, presenting with multiple forms and varying levels of ploidy. Taxonomically, this species is an insular segregate of Dudleya caespitosa, and was placed as a stopgap taxon by Reid Moran in his 1951 thesis on the genus. It is characterized by white or green leaf rosettes, loomed over by inflorescences bearing pale yellow to white flowers. It is a member of the subgenus Dudleya, as it cannot be propagated from leaf cuttings, does not grow from a corm, and has tight petals.

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

Dudleya variegata is a deciduous succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common names variegated liveforever, variegated dudleya or rarely San Diego Hasseanthus. A cryptic plant that survives part of the year dormant underground from starch reserves in a corm, after sufficient rainfall, leaves will emerge, soon giving way to small inflorescences with yellow star-shaped flowers. It is native to Baja California and adjacent San Diego County in California, where it grows in several habitat types, including chaparral and vernal pools.

<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.

<i>Dudleya gnoma</i> Species of succulent plant

Dudleya gnoma is a rare species of succulent plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names munchkin liveforever and munchkin dudleya. It is characterized by its diminutive stature, small yellow flowers, and distinctive white rosettes. It is endemic to the eastern portion of Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from one population at the type locality, containing three colonies of plants.

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

Dudleya attenuata is a species of perennial succulent plant known by the common name taper-tip liveforever, native to Baja California and a small portion of California. A rosette-forming leaf succulent, it has narrow pencil shaped leaves that can often be found covered in a white epicuticular wax. The thin, sprawling stems branch to form the clusters of rosettes, with plants creating a "clump" up to 40 cm wide. The small flowers are white or yellow, with 5 spreading petals. It is a diverse, variable species that extends from the southernmost coast of San Diego County to an area slightly north of the Vizcaino Desert, hybridizing with many other species of Dudleya in its range. Some plants with white or pinkish flowers were referred to as Orcutt's liveforever, referring to a former subspecies split on the basis of the flower color.

<i>Dudleya anomala</i> Species of plant

Dudleya anomala is a rare species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae commonly known as the Todos Santos liveforever. With a dense, cushion-forming habit, this leaf succulent is characterized by elongated stems, slightly sticky leaves, and bell-shaped flowers with white, spreading petals. This species is native to Baja California, Mexico, and is found primarily on islands and one coastal locality.

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

Dudleya cultrata is a species of perennial succulent in the family Crassulaceae commonly known as the knife-leaved liveforever or the maritime succulent liveforever. This species is characterized by oblong, narrow green leaves and flowers with pale yellow petals that bloom from April to June. Although similar to Dudleya ingens, this species is most often seen growing sympatric with the larger, wax-covered Dudleya anthonyi. It is native to Baja California, occurring on the coast from Punta Colonet and San Quintin to El Rosario.

<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 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. 1 2 "Dudleya multicaulis". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. "Dudleya multicaulis". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 McCabe, Stephen W. (2012). "Dudleya multicaulis". Jepson eFlora. Jepson Flora Project. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Moran, Reid. "Dudleya multicaulis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford. Retrieved 21 April 2022 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  5. Moran, Reid. "Dudleya subg. Hasseanthus". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford. Retrieved 22 December 2022 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.