Shortleaf liveforever
Shortleaf liveforever is a tiny succulent found exclusively on the coast of San Diego County, California.
This plant is endangered and confined to an extremely limited range because many people unknowingly trample over it.
Thanks to the Centre for Plant Conservation (CPC) network and San Diego Zoo Global, conservation work is underway to save this plant for future generations.
Plant description
Shortleaf liveforever is a small, erect succulent that can be brown, reddish-purple, or green in colour. It has cone-shaped leaves and its star-shaped flowers are arranged in clusters on a stem (a floral structure known as an inflorescence).
Where in the world?
Steep slopes of eroded rock or soil located in coastal zones (coastal bluffs).
Our work
Our partnership
The Centre for Plant Conservation (CPC) is a network of conservation partners working together to save threatened plants in the United States and Canada.
Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is one of the CPC Participating Institutions.
Shortleaf liveforever is a high priority for conservation efforts because it only exists in 5 locations in the wild in San Diego, California.
This tiny succulent is at serious risk of trampling by hikers.
As part of the Centre for Plant Conservation (CPC) network’s efforts to save plants, conservationists at San Diego Zoo Global collected seeds from all five remaining shortleaf liveforever populations.
They propagated these plants so that they could be returned to the wild, in the hope that they may survive and thrive.
