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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: Baja California (North America) |
| California Native (Plant List): Yes |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: <1 foot |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Dudleya verityi (Verity's Live Forever) - A clustering rosette forming succulent with clumps to 18 inches across with many individual rosettes on short branched stems. These rosettes are 2 to 3 inches with gray glaucous oblanceolate (wider near the tip) 1 to 2 inch long leaves. In late spring and summer appear the small bright yellow flowers that have greenish midribs and rise just above the leaves in a branched inflorescence that is tinged purple near the base. We have not grown this rare plant long enough to know the best way to treat it but feel that it should be plant in a well-drained soil in full sun only in coastal areas and otherwise be planted in part sun to light shade and be watered occasionally fall through and spring in dry years or allow natural rainfall to take care of it and only irrigate infrequently or not at all in later summer to allow the plant to rest. Should prove hardy to short duration temperatures to 20° F or below as would be experienced in its natural habitat. This plant grows naturally on north facing volcanic rock outcrops in the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura County in association with Rhus integrifolia, Eriogonum crocatum and Coreopsis gigantea. It is federally listed as a threatened species due to the threat of destruction of habitat by fire, development, mining activities, and flood control work. This genus is named for William Russell Dudley (1849-1911), professor of botany and first head of the Botany Department at Stanford University as well as the Director of the Sierra Club of California and the specific epithet honors horticulturist and entomologist David Verity, the past manager of UCLA Mildred Mathias Botanic Garden. It was described in the September-October Cactus and Succulent Society of America Journal (Vol. 55 No. 5:196-200) by Kei Nakai, who worked in the herbarium at the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden. Prior to this it was previously treated as a form of Dudleya farinosa or Dudleya caespitosa. Our thanks go out to Nick Deinhart for getting us this charming Dudleya.
This information about Dudleya verityi displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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