Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

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Ernie
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Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Ernie »

P1010714.JPG
I have posted the thread to provoke some debate, why? well one of these does not cost much and the other costs an arm and a leg.
One is Dudleya greenei and the other is Dudleya gnoma S.W.McCabe
greeni grow along cliffs of four of the eight islands of the coast of California.
gnoma only grows on Santa Rosa Island of the coast of California. Discoverd in 1950 and said to be different from greeni. Its a botanical accepted name.

Here's the question can any amatuer grower actually say which is which and thus is it easy to pay lots for a plant which may in fact be the cheaper one. I paid a lot for the gnoma and not much for the other. Maybe we can discuss until the flowers are out on both. The expensive one came from a very reputable source.
Last edited by Ernie on Mon May 31, 2021 12:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Ernie »

A couple of closer photos.
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P1010720.JPG
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Phil_SK »

The description of gnoma ( https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pag ... 0/mode/1up ) does give details of how it's supposed to be different from greenei (described https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 3/mode/1up ). I don't know enough about dudleyas to be able to add anything more - what do you reckon?
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Stuart »

They’re all the same plant. Originally called ‘White Sprite’ but then accepted as a species growing on one of the Californian Channel Islands and was then described as Dudleya Gnoma. It’s very slow, hardly worth growing as a commercial plant but well worth having in a collection.

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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Ernie »

Stuart wearing you judges hat do you want to have a stab at saying which is which in the photos before I reveal all.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Ernie »

Phil_SK wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 12:58 pm The description of gnoma ( https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pag ... 0/mode/1up ) does give details of how it's supposed to be different from greenei (described https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 3/mode/1up ). I don't know enough about dudleyas to be able to add anything more - what do you reckon?
Thanks Phil. I am going to study that literature and the two plants before commenting further. Perhaps readers can see the problem. How does a layman know if he he is getting the correct plant. BTW Both are said to be rare plants in the wild. The gnoma site is I believe protected.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Stuart »

They’re both Dudleya Gnoma. Even if I find my Judges Hat, it doesn’t help me work out which one you paid most for. If I knew where they came from I could have a guess at who would be most likely to sell you the one with the correct name but my ‘Tactful Hat’ which I very rarely wear tells me I shouldn’t. The Greenii White Sprite name was OK to use until it was found to be a species and it then needed to be properly described as such. It’s a very underrated plant as are most Dudleyas though they compete well against an Echeveria in an Echeveria Group at shows which is where they’ve been put for show purposes. They look well suited to your bonsai-style pots.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Ernie »

Thanks Stuart. The round dish has the gnoma, I paid £40 from Surreal succulents. The other one is an ebay buy at £6.50p. I was the only one who bid on it. Advertised as D greeni.

Looking at it from a commercial growers point of view if it is very slow to grow I can see the justification in the high price. I think the ebay seller would have expected more.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Herts Mike »

A surreal price.
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Re: Dudleya for debate- an exchange of views.

Post by Stuart »

£6.50 was a bargain, there are bargains out there on ebay if you know what you're looking at. It's only a little more than the Californian wholesale price for a nursery-grown one about the same size. Personally, I've never asked for more than £2.50 ever on ebay, if it goes higher than that it's out of my control but I don't like to ask a high price for a plant. I wouldn't like to comment about the other nursery.

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