Dudleya anomala
Dudleya anomala is a species of succulent plant known by the common name Todos Santos liveforever native to Baja California. It has sticky foliage, small, narrow leaves, spreading petals, and is found primarily on islands.[1]
| Todos Santos liveforever | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Crassulaceae |
| Genus: | Dudleya |
| Species: | D. anomala |
| Binomial name | |
| Dudleya anomala | |
 | |
| Distribution of D. anomala. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
Morphology
Dudleya anomala emerges from an elongated, procumbent caudex, 5 to 10mm thick. The caudex branches to form dense cushions of plants 30 to 40 cm in diameter. There are 20 - 30 tightly set leaves on the rosette, which are oblanceolate, 2–5 cm long, and 4 - 6mm broad. The inflorescence is compact and rounded, about 3 to 4 cm in diameter, with around 3 branches that may or may not branch once themselves. Bracts are 5 to 15 mm long. The ultimate branches have around 3 to 5 flowers, suspended on pedicels 2 to 5 mm long. The petals are spreading from the base. It has white flowers that are somewhat flecked with red on the keel. Anthers are red.[2]
D. anomala possesses viscid (sticky) foliage, a trait shared by the aptly-named D. viscida. In comparison, anomala has smaller leaves, thinner caudices, and smaller, simpler inflorescences.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Distribution
Dudleya anomala occurs with an insular distribution on the Islas Coronados, the Islas Todos Santos, and on the mainland, on the extreme end of the Punta Banda. D. anomala's range overlaps with D. lanceolata, D. candida, and D. attenuata.[3][4][5]
Habitat
Specimens of D. anomala observed by Reid Moran occurred on steep, north-facing cliffs on the Coronado Islands.[2]
Taxonomy
Taxonomic history
The plant was previously detailed as Stylophyllum insulare by Harald August Fröderström, which was later shown to be a homonym; it was then renamed Stylophyllum coronatum. Anstruther Davidson classified the species as Stylophyllum anomalum in 1928. Stylophyllum was a genus formerly used to describe Dudleya with terete leaves. Observations of the plant were also once confused as Echeveria virens.[2]
The type specimen was collected by Robert Kessler and deposited in the herbarium of the Los Angeles County Museum by Davidson. Reid Moran wrote a more complete description of the species in 1943, and recognized it as a Dudleya.[2]
Phylogenetic analysis of D. anomala shows that it is likely related to D. anthonyi.[6]
References
- Rebman, Jon P.; Gibson, Judy; Rich, Karen (15 November 2016). "ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO" (PDF). Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History. San Diego Natural History Museum. 45 – via San Diego Plant Atlas & San Diego Natural History Museum.
- Dudleya anomala (Davidson) Moran. Desert Plant Life. 14: 191. 1942.
- Oberbauer, T. A. (2002, March). Vegetation and flora of Islas Los Coronados, Baja California, México. In Proceedings of the Fifth California Islands Symposium (Vol. 29, pp. 212-223).
- Mulroy, T. W., Rundel, P. W., & Bowler, P. A. (1979). The vascular flora of Punta Banda, Baja California Norte, Mexico. Madroño, 69-90.
- Uhl, C. H., & Moran, R. (1953). The cytotaxonomy of Dudleya and Hasseanthus. American Journal of Botany, 492-502.
- Yost, J. M., Bontrager, M., McCabe, S. W., Burton, D., Simpson, M. G., Kay, K. M., & Ritter, M. (2013). Phylogenetic relationships and evolution in Dudleya (Crassulaceae). Systematic Botany, 38(4), 1096-1104.