Dudleya cymosa subsp. ovatifolia

Santa monica dudleya, Santa Monica Dudleya

Family: Crassulaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Threatened

Santa monica dudleya is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in southern Transverse Ranges in the Santa Monica Mountains and Peninsular Ranges in the Santa Ana Mountains on shaded, rocky outcrops and slopes at elevations of 150 to 500 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with petals strongly recurved at the tips, occasionally with rare orange or red-marked variations. Growing in small rosettes 1 to 6 centimeters wide with stems 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide, it forms compact clusters of succulent foliage. Its leaves are typically 6 to 10 in number, 2 to 5 centimeters long and 15 to 25 millimeters wide, with an oblong to ovate shape, dark green on top and reddish underneath, featuring an acuminate to mucronate tip. The inflorescence is slightly asymmetric with peduncles 3 to 15 centimeters long and 3 to 3.5 millimeters wide, bearing 3 to 4 branches with 1 to 3 flowers each.

Habitat: Shaded, rocky outcrops and slopes

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 150-500 m

Bioregions: s WTR (Santa Monica Mtns), PR (Santa Ana Mtns).

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