Dudleya cymosa is a species complex of evergreen and deciduous succulent plants in the family Crassulaceae known by the common name: canyon liveforever.[1][2] It is a loosely defined polyphyletic[3] species with a diverse number of subspecies, varying highly in morphology, distribution, and habitat.[4]

Dudleya cymosa
The neotype for D. cymosa, an illustration by John Gilbert Baker

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Dudleya
Species:
D. cymosa
Binomial name
Dudleya cymosa
Synonyms

Echeveria cymosa

Description

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It is a distinctive plant sending up erect red-orange stems from a gray-green basal rosette. The small yellowish-red thimble-shaped flowers top the stems in a cyme inflorescence. Some subspecies are considered threatened locally.

Subspecies

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Recognized[5] Dudleya cymosa subspecies:

The subspecies marcescens[6] and ovatifolia[7] are federally listed as threatened species of the United States.

Butterfly habitat

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Dudleya cymosa is the larval host plant for the Sonoran blue butterfly, Philotes sonorensis (Lycaenidae)

 
Basal rosette, erect stems, and inflorescences

Notes

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  1. ^ New N. Amer. Crassul. 21. 1903 Sep
  2. ^ Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 3:21. 1903 Nov
  3. ^ Yost, J. M.; Bontrager, M.; McCabe, S. W.; Burton, D.; Simpson, M. G.; Kay, K. M.; Ritter, M. (2013). "Phylogenetic relationships and evolution in Dudleya (Crassulaceae)" (PDF). Systematic Botany. 38 (4): 1096–1104. doi:10.1600/036364413X674760. S2CID 15715233.
  4. ^ McCabe, Stephen Ward (26 September 2019). "Succulent Poaching, Conservation,and the Mainland Dudleyas". Youtube. CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  5. ^ "Dudleya cymosa". Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
  6. ^ USFWS. ssp. marcescens. Species Profile.
  7. ^ USFWS. ssp. ovatifolia. Species Profile.

References

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