Dudleya cymosa subsp. cymosa

Family: Crassulaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Dudleya cymosa is a California native succulent found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central Western Transverse Ranges, and southern Santa Monica Mountains on rocky outcrops and talus slopes at elevations of 100 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces bright yellow, orange, or red flowers in asymmetric radial clusters with pedicels turning toward or away from the sun. Growing with rosettes 3 to 10 centimeters wide and stems 1 to 3.5 centimeters wide, it forms low-spreading clusters with thick succulent characteristics. Its leaves are 3 to 17 centimeters long, ovate to oblanceolate, with broad bases and margins that fold upward, creating a distinctive tough and glaucous appearance. The plant's unique sun-tracking inflorescence and variable flower colors make it a striking feature of rocky mountain landscapes.

Habitat: Rocky outcrops, talus slopes, less often shaded canyon slopes

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 100-2700 m

Bioregions: NCoR, CaR, SN, CW, s WTR (Santa Monica Mtns).

California counties: Tulare, Los Angeles, Inyo, Placer, Kern, Calaveras, Amador, Sierra, El Dorado, Humboldt, Monterey, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Yolo, Yuba, Butte, Fresno, Lake, Napa, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Nevada, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tuolumne, Tehama, San Benito, Siskiyou, Contra Costa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.