Dudleya hendrixii is placed in the
Dudleya subgenus
Hasseanthus, which consists of species characterized by small
drought deciduous leaves, flowers with widely-spreading
petals and a
tuberous underground stem, similar to a
corm. It has been suggested that the corm-like stem and the small drought deciduous leaves are
paedomorphic adaptations, as these traits are present in
Dudleya seedlings but not usually retained through maturity in the other subgenera. Among the members of the
Hasseanthus,
Dudleya hendrixii is distinguished by its combination of white flowers that are absent of odor, a globose-spherical underground stem, and 3 to 5 linear to spindle-shaped leaves borne from narrow
petioles. Also notable are the morphological similarities of
Dudleya hendrixii to
Dudleya attenuata, a non-deciduous species in the subgenus
Stylophyllum, as both have narrow, grey-white leaves with acute tips and (in the case of
D. attenuata subsp. orcuttii) small white flowers.
Morphology Dudleya hendrixii is a low-growing
rosette-forming
succulent plant, growing to across. It is mostly acaulescent, as the apex of the stem is flush with ground level. The remainder of the stem is a corm-like structure growing underground, with a spherical to slightly longer than wide shape. The stem is unbranching, resulting in solitary rosettes with 3 to 5 leaves. The leaves are summer deciduous, and usually have a light gray
glaucescent appearance. The leaves are shaped linear to fusiform, and may be straight or curved, terminated by an acuminate to attenuate tip. The petioles are narrow and upright. The leaves are oriented upright, their distal ends usually far apart, with one leaf usually curving over the apex of the plant. Plants usually produce 2 to 4
inflorescences. The
peduncles grow from the stem and are thick, and grow to create an inflorescence that measures tall. The peduncle is lined with succulent
bracts, the lower ones measuring long by wide with an attenuate tip. The lowermost two bracts are placed nearly opposite of each other, while the subsequent bracts above are mostly alternate. Several terminal branches bear the flowers.
Pedicels to long bear the flowers. The calyx is about long, with red-brown
sepals, and is more or less glaucous, becoming especially so towards the base. The petals are pink in bud, and in maturity are white with pink on their lower surface, and are striped with red along their keel. The petals are about long by wide, and are united for around or less of their length. The
anthers have red tips prior to
dehiscence and produce yellow
pollen. The
carpels are spreading and becoming widely spreading as they mature into
follicles. == Taxonomy ==