Dudleya

CYMOSA ssp. MARCESCENS Moran, 1957

Synonym : Dudleya marcescens  (Moran) P.H.Thomson (1993)

 

Distribution : USA (California: Santa Monica Mts.); shady rocks, 150 - 500 m, rare.

 

 

Differs from ssp. cymosa :

 

Stems 2 - 7 (-10) mm in diameter.

 

Rosettes 3 - 6 cm in diameter, with 8 - 12 (-15) leaves.

 

Leaves oblanceolate, oblong to elliptic, acute to bluntish, 1.5 - 3 (-4) x 0.5 - 1.2 cm, green, vernal, drying from tip to base and within the rosette from outside to inside in summer.

 

Inflorescence : Scape 4 - 10 cm, inflorescence with 1 - 2 simple scorpioid branches, these 1 - 3 cm, with 2 - 5 flowers, pedicels 5 - 12 mm.

 

Flowers : Sepals 2.5 - 4 mm, petals 10 - 14 x 2.5 – 3.5 mm, bright yellow, rarely patterned with orange or red, tube ± 1.5mm.

 

Cytology : n = 17

 

This is the most deviating subspecies of D. cymosa. It is somewhat closer to ssp. ovatifolia and differs by the thinner stems and the narrower and especially vernal leaves. ln Subgen. Dudleya, vernal leaves are otherwise only found in D. abramsii ssp. parva (according to the protologue).

 

 

« back