Dudleya nesiotica
Encyclopedia
Dudleya nesiotica is a very rare succulent plant
known by the common name Santa Cruz Island liveforever. This dudleya
is endemic to Santa Cruz Island
, one of the Channel Islands of California
. This is a squat plant growing in mats on the rocky, exposed ground of the windswept island. It is a federally listed threatened species.
. It blooms in short inflorescence
s of small white star-shaped flowers. It is self-compatible, so it can reproduce without receiving the pollen of another plant.
es and lichen
s may be beneficial to the germination of the seeds of this plant by adding nutrients, moisture, substrate, and protection from snail
s and slug
s.
s of land on this island. The population ranges between 4000 and 260,000 individual plants. All the plants occur on land which is owned and protected by The Nature Conservancy
.
There are several factors affecting the abundance of this species. It has been impacted by habitat loss and degradation, including the loss of soil
on the island. This was the result of introduced species
such as pig
s, cows, and sheep, as well as non-native weeds
. The soil became compacted and eroded, and it lost the upper layers of leaf litter and cryptobiotic crust
. Soil loss is continuing even after the removal of the non-native mammals.
This plant may hybridize with some of its relatives, including D. greenei
and D. candelabrum
.
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...
known by the common name Santa Cruz Island liveforever. This dudleya
Dudleya
Dudleya is a genus of succulent perennials, consisting of about 45 species in southwest North America.Many plants in the Dudleya genus were formerly classified as Echeveria....
is endemic to Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service . The island, located off the coast of California, is long and from wide...
, one of the Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. This is a squat plant growing in mats on the rocky, exposed ground of the windswept island. It is a federally listed threatened species.
Description
Dudleya nesiotica bears a few pointed or rounded leaves during the winter months when moisture is available, and it goes dormant during the summer, leaving behind only its tough caudexCaudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. It blooms in short inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of small white star-shaped flowers. It is self-compatible, so it can reproduce without receiving the pollen of another plant.
Ecology
Various mossMoss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s may be beneficial to the germination of the seeds of this plant by adding nutrients, moisture, substrate, and protection from snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s and slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s.
Conservation
This plant is known from a single population which is spread over about 32 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land on this island. The population ranges between 4000 and 260,000 individual plants. All the plants occur on land which is owned and protected by The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
.
There are several factors affecting the abundance of this species. It has been impacted by habitat loss and degradation, including the loss of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
on the island. This was the result of introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
such as pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, cows, and sheep, as well as non-native weeds
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
. The soil became compacted and eroded, and it lost the upper layers of leaf litter and cryptobiotic crust
Cryptobiotic soil
A Cryptobiotic soil is a biological soil crust composed of living cyanobacteria, green algae, brown algae, fungi, lichens, and/or mosses. Commonly found in arid regions around the world, cryptobiotic soils go by many names, including cryptogamic, microbiotic, or microphytic soils or crusts...
. Soil loss is continuing even after the removal of the non-native mammals.
This plant may hybridize with some of its relatives, including D. greenei
Dudleya greenei
Dudleya greenei is a rare succulent plant known by the common name Greene's liveforever, or Greene's dudleya. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows along the cliffs of four of the eight islands.-Description:...
and D. candelabrum
Dudleya candelabrum
Dudleya candelabrum is a succulent plant known by the common name candleholder liveforever, or candleholder dudleya. This plant is endemic to California, where it grows wild only on the northern Channel Islands.-Description:...
.