Dudleya

Dudleya, commonly known as liveforevers, is a genus of rosette-forming succulent plants in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, consisting of about ~70 taxa found in southwestern North America and Guadalupe Island. The genus is very morphologically diverse, with species ranging from large evergreen plants to tiny deciduous geophytic plants. The flowers of Dudleya have parts numbered in fives, with the petals arranged in tubular, star-shaped, or bell-shaped forms and, when fruiting, are filled with tiny, crescent-shaped seeds.

The genus evolved as neoendemics, from ancestors in the stonecrop genus, Sedum. The ancestors probably radiated southward from Sedum during the creation of the dry summer climate, in the California region, five million years ago. Early botanists classified the larger species as Echeveria and Cotyledon, while the geophytic species were placed under Sedum. Taxonomic efforts, started by Joseph Nelson Rose and Nathaniel Lord Britton, created three genera, including Dudleya. These genera were all eventually subsumed into Dudleya proper with the work of Reid Moran. Phylogenetic research is still at an early stage in the genus, and is complicated by the fact that many species are becoming endangered and over-harvested (poached).

Dudleya is a relatively obscure genus, in comparison to other, more widely cultivated succulents; converging interests, by succulent collectors, native plant enthusiasts and gardeners alike, have led to the wider cultivation of many species as ornamental plants. In the wild, many species of Dudleya are vulnerable, as land development and poachers often threaten particularly niche populations of plants. Poached plants are often shipped to East Asia, especially South Korea, where hybridisation and cultivation of succulents is very popular. Conservationists, nurseries and governments combat Dudleya poaching through propagation programs and protection laws.