Greene's liveforever is a small, clump-forming succulent native to coastal cliffs of California's Channel Islands, grown for its rosettes of white or green leaves. The key to growing it is sharp drainage and plenty of sun, since it rots in wet soil.
Family
Crassulaceae (Stonecrop family)
Grows as
Succulent, Bulb, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Bright indirect
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings; water less in winter.
Soil
Fast-draining gritty cactus or succulent mix, or mineral soil with added grit.
Temperature
10–30 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Easy
Native range
California (Channel Is.)
Climate
subtropical
About
Dudleya greenei is a perennial species of succulent plant known by the common names Greene's liveforever, or Greene's dudleya. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows along the cliffs of four of the eight islands. It is a highly variable plant, presenting with multiple forms and varying levels of ploidy. Taxonomically, this species is an insular segregate of Dudleya caespitosa, and was placed as a stopgap taxon by Reid Moran in his 1951 thesis on the genus. It is characterized by white or green leaf rosettes, loomed over by inflorescences bearing pale yellow to white flowers. It is a member of the subgenus Dudleya, as it cannot be propagated from leaf cuttings, does not grow from a corm, and has tight petals.
Where it grows
This species is distributed throughout the northern Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, San Miguel, and Santa Rosa islands with the exception of Anacapa. Plants on Anacapa are D. caespitosa. It is found on coastal cliffs and rock outcrops. Tetraploid representatives of this species are also present on Catalina Island. However, some plants with campanulate flowers on Catalina may be of hybrid origin between Dudleya greenei and Dudleya virens subsp. insularis.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dudleya greenei by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.