Kingdom Plantae Family Crassulaceae Scientific name Dudleya calcicola Rank Species | Order Saxifragales Genus Dudleya Higher classification Dudleya | |
Similar Dudleya, Dudleya candelabrum, Crassulaceae, Dudleya palmeri, Dudleya nesiotica | ||
Dudleya calcicola is a succulent plant known by the common name limestone liveforever, or limestone dudleya. It is endemic to California, where it is a rare resident of limestone outcroppings and rocky slopes in the southern Sierra Nevada and nearby mountains and foothills.
Description
This plant grows a rosette of leaves up to about 10 centimeters wide, each leaf blade-shaped to cone-shaped and up to 10 centimeters long and one wide. The leaves are fleshy and hairless, generally pale green, often tinted with pink or yellow.
From the rosette bolts an erect stem, which is a caudex topped with a multi-branched inflorescence. The stem and branches may be dark to very light and almost white in color. Each branch may be several centimeters long and bear two to eight flowers. The flowers are very pale yellow to reddish-yellow and have sharply pointed petals one to one and a half centimeters long.
The plant is not generally considered a good candidate for garden culture because of its requirement for limestone-based soils. Off-road vehicle traffic and cattle grazing have had serious impacts on wild populations.