Interesting Plant: Giant Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya brittonii)

After living in Southern California for so long (nearly 28 years), I have really come to love succulents of all sorts. The dudleya always catch my eye when we are out and about and at our local succulent show, which takes places just about a mile from our house. The chalky, white leaves of this dudleya is such a unique look and I could easily find a place for it in my garden. Maybe you could find a place in yours.

dudleya-brittonii
Dudleya brittonii (DUD-lee-yuh brit-TON-ee-eye), with common names Britton’s dudleya and Giant Chalk Dudleya, is a succulent plant in the Crassulaceae family. It is native to Baja California, Mexico.

The leaves of Dudleya brittonii grow in a basal rosette and are covered with a dusty, chalky, mealy white epicuticular “wax”. The wax in its mealy state on the leaves is attracted to water and coats drops on the leaves and prevents their evaporation. The wax has the highest measured ultraviolet reflectivity of any plant.[1]

Dudleya brittonii is similar in appearance to Dudleya pulverulenta, native to California. — Wikipedia

More information on Giant Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya brittonii):

From Amazon.com:
 

Previously in the Interesting Plant series: 

Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas

Read more on this topic:

  1. Interesting Plant: Lovely silver-tinged fern on campus of Oberlin College, Ohio
  2. Interesting Plant: Sempervivum ‘Westerlin’
  3. Interesting Plant: Kalanchoe Tomentosa
  4. Interesting Plant: Tricolor Beech (Fagus sylvatica Purpurea Tricolor)
  5. Interesting Plant: Hosta ‘Remember Me’