Dudleya saxosa subsp. collomiae
Dudleya saxosa "subsp." collomiae, known by the common name Gila County liveforever, is a subspecies of perennial succulent plant within the genus "Dudleya" native to central Arizona. It is characterized by showy bright-yellow flowers on an upright inflorescence colored pink, red or orange. The leaves are green or covered in a white, powdery wax. This species is found growing in rocky slopes, canyons, and crevices, and often on Sonoran Desert sky islands. Morphology. This species has a caudex (stem) in diameter. Topping the stem is a rosette of leaves, which may be colored green or  covered in a white, powdery epicuticular wax. The leaf blades are long by wide, and thick. The inflorescence is composed of red floral shoots, covered in 5 to 12 bracts. The terminal branches are long and bear 4 to 15 flowers on pedicels long. The flowers have their parts in 5. The sepals are long, while the petals are long. The petals are bright yellow but tinged with red. Taxonomy. "Dudleya saxosa" subsp. "collomiae" has been variously classified as a separate species, or a member of the genus "Echeveria", like many "Dudleya", but current consensus has it as a subspecies  of "Dudleya saxosa". Etymology. The species is named for Mrs. Rose E. Collom, a botanist, of which she collected the holotype specimen of "Dudleya saxosa" subsp. "collomiae". Phylogenetics. This species has a chromosome number of n = 68. Compared to a similar relative under the same species, "Dudleya saxosa" subsp. "aloides", a diploid, the Arizona subspecies is polyploid, and has larger flowers. They are also relatively isolated from each other, with the whole species having a disjunct distribution. Distribution and habitat. "Dudleya saxosa" subsp. "collomiae" is the only other species of "Dudleya" native to Arizona, the other being "Dudleya arizonica , the Arizona Chalk Dudleya. It has a preference for rocky slopes, crevices, and canyons in central Arizona on sky islands, occurring from 2,000 to over 6,000 ft. in elevation.