Dudleya brittonii

Dudleya brittonii
Dudleya brittonii at the Wave Hill public garden, Bronx, New York
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Saxifragales
Family:	Crassulaceae
Genus:	Dudleya
Species:	D. brittonii
Binomial name
Dudleya brittonii

Dudleya brittonii ((DUD-lee-yuh brit-TON-ee-eye), common name Chalk Dudleya, is a succulent plant in the Crassulaceae family. It is found in Baja California. Leaves 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.

References

1. ^ Spectral Properties of Heavily Glaucous and Non-Glaucous Leaves of a Succulent Rosette-Plant, Thomas W. Mulroy, Oecologia, 1979, [1]