Point Lobos Dudleya

Three species of Dudleya are listed as being found at Point Lobos:

1. Dudleya caespitosa 

Photo by Stan Shebs [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
2. Dudleya farinosa

Photo by Stan Shebs [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
3. Dudleya lanceolata 

Photo by Joe Decruyenaere [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

D. lanceolata might be the plants I moved from a fiercely hot, arid location to a nearly full shade, damp(ish) place, where they have been better.  The plants currently look exhausted from having bloomed heavily this summer.  Winter may revive them.  

Which species exactly we saw at Point Lobos, I'm not 100% certain, because they were growing on sheer rocky cliffs too far away for close-up photos with the lens I had.


D. farinosa, I think.  The flowers are the easiest way to ID the species.  The foliage can vary from greenish to very silvery within the same species, depending on location and growing conditions.

 The tree is a Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata).  The rock is a type of granite that shears off in layers.  When a whole slice of stone falls away,  the Dudleyas have a fresh clean fissured surface in which to establish a new colony.  Wind or gravity will drop seeds into cracks and fissures, where they will grow.  The fog laden air provides moisture.  

Here a small clump of Dudleyas grow (the white dots) but are dwarfed by the mass of what I think is dried out Carpobrotus edulis, a South African iceplant invader of coastal California now from the Oregon to the Mexican border.  It was planted at one time to stabilize dunes but became widespread via birds dropping seeds. 

Dudleya colonies will grow for many decades in the same spot, the roots of current plants growing in the decayed organic matter of their ancestors.

 The dried flowers:

It was so cool to see Dudleyas in habitat.  The native plants of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve are largely still present  because although the area hosted human activity as a launching point for whaling ships and abalone divers, the land itself was never overly changed.  An early owner, Alexander M. Allan, had the foresight to preserve the area until it was acquired by the State of California.   Habitat restoration is in progress for some damaged portions, but it must be done with minimal disruption so is slow and painstaking.   

Still waiting for the part to fix my computer display.   Soon, hopefully!