''Dudleya candida'' is a species of

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common names Coronados liveforever or chalk rose. It is a rosette-forming, green to white-colored leaf succulent, and in bloom yellow flowers atop red stalks stand above the foliage. It has some visual similarities to the mainland ''

Dudleya brittonii ''Dudleya brittonii'', with the common names Britton's dudleya, Britton's liveforever and giant chalk dudleya, is a succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is native to the coast of northern Baja California, Mexico. Both forms of the plan ...

'', and has found uses in horticulture as an ornamental plant. It is restricted to the Coronado Islands, an island group off of the extreme northern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

coast, visible from the United States.

Description

Beginning from the bottom, the

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

is 2.5 cm (1 in) to 5 cm (2 in) thick, and quickly branches into rounded mounds over (2 ft) in diameter, containing sometimes over 200 rosettes that are 7.6 cm (3 in) to 17 cm (7 in) in diameter. The foliage consists of 30 to 60 white, pulverulent leaves, that may have pink or reddish tips. The leaves are often widest at the base, 5 cm (2 in) to 10 cm (4 in) long, 1.2 cm (0.5 in) to 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, 3 mm (0.12 in) to 4.5 mm (0.18 in) thick. The

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

is pink, 20 cm (8 in) to 45 cm (18 in) tall, 6 mm (0.25 in) to 9.3 mm (0.37 in) thick, with 12 to 20 horizontal

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

. The bracts are 3 cm (1.25 in) long, 1.9 cm (0.75 in) wide, and 3 mm (0.12 in) thick, tapering to a sharp point. The

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

branches several times, but stays fairly compact. The upright

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

are a pale yellow, 1.5 cm (0.62 in) long, and up to 6 mm (0.25 in) wide, suspended on 6 mm (0.25 in) to 1.2 cm (0.5 in) long

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

. ''Dudleya candida'' flowers from May to early June. The plant bears a resemblance to another nearby relative, ''

''. The plants may be distinguished by the fact that ''D. candida'' has a much smaller rosette and smaller flower heads, and also that ''brittonii'' has flowering branchlets emerging from the

axils A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

of the upper bracts.

Distribution and habitat

''Dudleya candida'' is only found the Coronado Islands, an island group off of the northwestern corner of

. It occurs on North and South Island.

Cultivation

In cultivation, ''Dudleya candida'' will grow quickly and multiply over many years. Specimens will likely overgrow their pots, but can last many years. It may or may not be watered during summer dormancy, surviving regardless. Overhead watering will remove the white farina on the leaves, making it green. Plants will also need regular water during the winter months, which is their growing period. As this species is native to the maritime Coronado Islands, they are not very tolerant of excessive heat or cold. A narrow-leaved horticultural form exists, and is often encountered much more frequently than the normal form in the horticultural trade. The normal form is often mislabeled and rare to find.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15481957 candida Flora of Baja California Taxa named by Nathaniel Lord Britton Taxa named by Joseph Nelson Rose Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands