''Dudleya saxosa'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant species in the family

Crassulaceae The Crassulaceae (, from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the crassulas, the stonecrops or the orpine family, are a diverse Family (biology), family of dicotyledon angiosperms primarily characterized by succulent leaves and a form of phot ...

, within the genus ''Dudleya'', which are commonly known as ''liveforevers''.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd ed., 2013, This species is a complex of 3 subspecies of plants, isolated and disjunct in distribution from one another, each with varying levels of ploidy and morphology. One plant is native throughout the deserts and mountains of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, another is found in the

Panamint Mountains The Panamint Range is a short rugged fault-block mountain range in the northern Mojave Desert, within Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, eastern California. A small part of the southern end of the range is in San Bernardino County. Dr. Da ...

, and one is found throughout central

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Description

''Dudleya saxosa'' is plant that grows from a rosette of fleshy leaves, which may be flat and blade-shaped to somewhat cylindrical. It bolts one or more erect stems which are usually dull pink to red in color, sometimes with pale green coloration. Atop the stems are compact

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s of flowers with bright yellow petals.

Subdivisions

* ''Dudleya saxosa'' subsp. ''saxosa'' (Panamint live-forever)A geographically isolated and polyploid population from the other species, this plant is found in the

Panamint Range The Panamint Range is a short rugged fault-block mountain range in the northern Mojave Desert, within Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, eastern California. A small part of the southern end of the range is in San Bernardino County. Dr. D ...

near

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...

. * ''Dudleya saxosa'' subsp. ''aloides'' (desert live-forever) Occurs widely throughout the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...

and the desert mountains of

. Composed of several somewhat different diploid populations, including '' Dudleya alainae''. * ''Dudleya saxosa'' subsp. ''collomiae'' (Gila County live-forever) A well isolated polyploid subspecies found throughout central

. It is most similar to the diploid subsp. ''aloides''.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Dudleya saxosa''USDA Plants Profile: ''Dudleya saxosa''UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Dudleya saxosa''
saxosa Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Panamint Range Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Crassulaceae-stub