Chalk Dudleya in typical habitat |
General: Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya pulverulenta) is a perennial forb that exists as a rosette of fleshy leaves that sends up leafy, chalk covered flowing stems in the spring that each hold several red, tubular flowers. The "chalk" is a covering of dusty, white epicuticular "wax" that is thought to help shade the plant while helping it hold rainwater.
Chalk Dudleya is a rare component of vegetation communities in dry, rocky areas on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones. Chalk Dudleya is a species of concern (Watch List) in Nevada.
Around Las Vegas, look for Chalk Dudleya in limestone and sandstone rocky areas below about 5,000-ft elevation in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Gold Butte National Monument.
Family: Stonecrop (Crassulaceae). Also called chalk lettuce, chalk dudleya, and chalk liveforever. |