A new and rare species of succulent was discovered in Mexico by researchers from San Diego State University and UC Santa Cruz, who named it after Jimi Hendrix, one of their favorite rock stars, it was announced Thursday.
The plant dubbed "Dudleya hendrixii" translates into "Hendrix's liveforever."
SDSU plant biologist Michael Simpson, former SDSU graduate student Mark Dodero and Stephen McCabe of UCSC are credited with discovering the plant, which is found only on a tiny sliver of Baja California, called the Colonet peninsula, according to SDSU.
The thin, stalky plant is less than a foot tall with succulent leaves and brilliant pinkish white flowers. It dies in the summer and then re-sprouts again in the fall, according to the team's findings published in the December issue of the journal Madrono.
Dodero and McCabe decided to name the plant after Hendrix, their musical icon. Dodero was listening to Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" at the moment he stumbled across the plant, which is already in peril.
Its habitat, only a couple of acres, is threatened by grazing, farming, off-road vehicle traffic and housing development in the region, Simpson said.
"It's the Mexican equivalent of an endangered species, although they don't use the same criteria we do in the United States," he said.
