Kingdom Plantae Family Crassulaceae Scientific name Dudleya densiflora Rank Species | Order Saxifragales Genus Dudleya Higher classification Dudleya | |
Similar Dudleya, Dudleya candelabrum, Dudleya palmeri, Crassulaceae, Dudleya nesiotica | ||
Dudleya densiflora is a succulent plant known by the common name San Gabriel Mountains liveforever. This is a very rare plant which is endemic to the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California. It is known from only three to five spots in the mountain range and there are an estimated 1,700 individual plants remaining.
This plant grows in the cracks of the granite slopes of three canyons in this single mountain range, where it is threatened by human activity such as rock quarrying and off-trails hiking. Local studies are underway to gain information about this species.
Description
Dudleya densiflora is a unique plant, different in appearance from other dudleyas with its long, snakelike leaves. Each leaf is up to 15 centimeters long and cylindric up to its pointed tip, and it is covered with a soft, grainy powder. From this clump of leaves emerges an erect stem with a branched inflorescence, each branch bearing 2 to 8 light colored flowers, usually very light pink to white.