Dudleya verityi

This is a fleshy perennial plant growing from a branching caudex several centimeters long. The leaves appear in a basal rosette about the caudex, each oblong to lance-shaped and generally pointed. The leaves are waxy in texture, pale grayish or pinkish green in color, and up to 5 centimeters long. The erect inflorescence is composed of a bract-lined peduncle up to 15 centimeters tall which splits into terminal branches each bearing several flowers. The flower has a base of fleshy, triangular sepals and longer, bright yellow petals just over a centimeter long.

This dudleya associates with mosses and lichens. It often grows in layers of the lichen Niebla ceruchoides, which may provide a moisture-capturing bed for seeds that fall from it. This dudleya hybridizes with other species, such as Dudleya blochmaniae.[2]

This species is only found on one edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, where it occurs in coastal sage scrub habitat.[3] The dominant plants are California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and purple sage (Salvia leucophylla). At least two occurrences are within the campus bounds of California State University, Channel Islands.[2]

It is a federally listed threatened species, with the main threat to its existence being destruction of its habitat for development, mining, and flood control.[1][4] The Springs Fire in 2013 nearly wiped it out[4] and the years-long drought that continued afterwards has made for a very tough recovery. Evidence of poaching was discovered in 2019.[3]

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Flora of North America
• The Nature Conservancy
• Photo gallery