The genus Dudleya is a charismatic group of native succulents with many rare species across California and Baja. Recent popularity has attracted poachers who uproot these plants by the tens of thousands in attempt to supply interests overseas for hefty profits. This project aims to utilize plant tissue culture (Micropropagation) to ethically produce large quantities of select Dudleya species to deflate the price incentives for poachers while providing agencies with an additional tool for conservation.
Kevin Alison is the Native Plant Production Specialist (R&D) at Tree of Life Nursery and a Masters of Conservation and Restoration Science (MCRS) graduate at U.C. Irvine.
