New Species Dudleya chasmophyta

Calflora aggregates plant location data from thousands of sources. When new plant species are discovered, we add those to the database.

The newest addition is Dudleya chasmophyta, a rare, cliff-dwelling species found only in Orange County, CA.

The President of Calflora's Board of Directors, Ron Vanderhoff, was instrumental in getting this new species recognized.

Ron performed field surveys, delineated the colony, coordinated with USFS, led teams of botanists to the remote colony, and helped collect the type specimen.

This photo shows Ron Vanderhoff on a cliff preparing to collect a Dudleya chasmophyta plant. 

In addition to serving as the President of Calflora's Board, Ron works full-time and botanizes the rest of the time.

Nice work and thank you, Ron!

Locations Obscured

Dudleya chasmophyta grows along cliffs in Orange County; exact locations in Calflora of this rare plant are obscured.

More Info

Dudleya chasmophyta (Crassulaceae) was named by Stephen McCabe with the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum along with Kristen Hasenstab-Lehman and Matt Guiliams with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

It is only the second endemic plant in Orange County. The first is also a Dudleya: D. stolonifera.