Dudleya nesiotica

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Saxifragales

Familia: Crassulaceae
Subfamilia: Sempervivoideae
Tribus: Sedeae
Genus: Dudleya
Subgenus: D. subg. Hasseanthus
Species: Dudleya nesiotica
Name

Dudleya nesiotica (Moran) Moran, Leafl. W. Bot. 7: 110 1953.
Synonyms

Hasseanthus nesioticus Moran

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
Regional: Southwestern USA
USA (California Channel Isl.: Santa Cruz Isl.)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Moran, R.V., 1953. Leaflets of Western Botany. San Francisco, CA 7:110.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Dudleya nesiotica. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Dec 02. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Dudleya nesiotica. Published online. Accessed: Dec 02 2019.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Dudleya nesiotica in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Dec 02. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Dudleya nesiotica. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Dec 02.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Dudleya nesiotica in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
español: Santa Cruz Island liveforever

Dudleya nesiotica is a very rare succulent plant known by the common name Santa Cruz Island liveforever. This Dudleya is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. This is a squat plant growing in mats on the rocky, exposed ground of the windswept island. It is a federally listed threatened species.[1]

Description
Inflorescence of the Santa Cruz Island liveforever

Dudleya nesiotica bears a few pointed or rounded leaves during the winter months when moisture is available, and it goes dormant during the summer, leaving behind only its tough caudex. It blooms in short inflorescences of small white star-shaped flowers. It is self-compatible, so it can reproduce without receiving the pollen of another plant.[1]
Ecology

Various mosses and lichens may be beneficial to the germination of the seeds of this plant by adding nutrients, moisture, substrate, and protection from snails and slugs.[1]
Conservation

This plant is known from a single population which is spread over about 32 acres of land on this island. The population ranges between 4000 and 260,000 individual plants. All the plants occur on land which is owned and protected by The Nature Conservancy.[1]

There are several factors affecting the abundance of this species. It has been impacted by habitat loss and degradation, including the loss of soil on the island. This was the result of introduced species such as pigs, cows, and sheep, as well as non-native weeds. The soil became compacted and eroded, and it lost the upper layers of leaf litter and cryptobiotic crust. Soil loss is continuing even after the removal of the non-native mammals.[1]

This plant may hybridize with some of its relatives, including D. greenei and D. candelabrum.[1]
References

USFWS. Dudleya nesiotica Five-year Review. August 2009.