Native Plants of California: The Succulent Dudleya

Most people enjoy having plants around their homes and for those who live in more arid areas, such as the coastal southwest areas of California and Baja, Mexico, succulents are an essential part of landscaping. One interesting, and fairly hardy, plant are those of the Dudleya genus. These are plants that love bright, full sun closer to the coast, and less sun away from the coastal regions. They will grow just fine inland and don't require excessive amounts of water.

They grow mostly in the winter and falls months and begin to produce flowers in the spring. Dudleyas range greatly in size and shape. Some are quite small and low to the ground, while others are large with long, spiky leaves. The prefer rocky areas on slopes, although they will tolerate landscaping either in pots or directly in the ground.
Even though there are a number of varieties of Dudleya, some species are rare, only growing in certain locations. Due to loss of habitat from urban sprawl, these Dudleya are losing ground, literally. Once a rare plant has been pronounced by biologists as being threatened, endangered, or a candidate species (which means susceptible to becoming threatened or endangered), it is usually placed on a list that offers it protection.

When it becomes a protected species, whether federal, state or local, anyone wishing to impact its habitat must jump through the hoops of biological surveys and permitting.

Some of the threatened or rare Dudleyas in the southern California area include:

· Dudleya abramssi ssp. parva or the Conejo dudleya. It's a native of the area and considered federally threatened
· Dudleya blockmaniae ssp. blochmaniae or Blockman's dudleya. This is a native plant and listed as rare.
· Dudleya candelabrum or Candleholder dudleya. This dudleya is native and listed as rare.
· Dudleya cymosa ssp. agourensis or Canyon liveforever. This one is also native and listed as threatened by the federal government.
· Dudleya cymosa ssp. marcescens or Marcescent dudleya; native and threatened.
· Dudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia or Santa Monica Mountains dudleya; native and threatened.
· Dudleya verityi or Verity's dudleya; native and threatened.
· Dudleya virens ssp. insularis and Dudleya virens ssp. virens are both native and listed as rare species.

Hopefully with foresight and regulations, these Dudleya can be preserved for generations to come. Some species of Dudleya are very difficult to find since they live among rocky outcrops, but when rare plant surveys are done by qualified biologists and botanists, they know exactly where to look. This is the primary reason regulators specify that biologists do surveys, rather than someone with expertise in the area.