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Comarostaphylis diversifolia
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Summer Holly
( Comarostaphylis diversifolia )
Comarostaphylis diversifolia
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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16 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About Summer Holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia)
16 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Comarostaphylis diversifolia
is a rare shrub in the heath family known by the common name Summer Holly. It is slow growing in an upright form up to a height of 20 feet or more, with striking white flowers in the spring, an incredible summer display of holly-like red berries , and attractive gray bark. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in coastal chaparral habitat, usually on well drained slopes. Its bark is gray and shreddy and the tough, evergreen leaves are oval in shape and sometimes toothed. The flower cluster is a raceme of urn-shaped flowers very similar to those of the related shrubs, the manzanitas. The fruit is a bright red, juicy drupe with a bumpy skin. There are two subspecies. C. d. ssp. diversifolia - native to the coastal hills of southern California and Baja California, C. d. ssp. planifolia - native to the Channel Islands of California and the Transverse Ranges north of Los Angeles. Subspecies diversifolia tends to grow with Mission Manzanita, Scrub Oak and Toyon.
In nature, Summer Holly is most often found on shady dry slopes, near occasional creeks or runoffs. It grows slowly until it breaks through the lower canopy, and gets its leaves in the sun. In landscapes it does best in dry part shade, near irrigated spots or other slightly damp areas. It prefers heavier, richer soils that retain the little moisture it gets a little longer. Best to plant Summer Holly in the fall, so it can get established by summer. This plant is among the least tolerant to direct water in the summer. After the first year, direct water in the summer will usually kill it.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Shrub
Size
10 - 20 ft tall
3 - 15 ft wide
Form
Rounded
Growth Rate
Slow
Dormancy
Evergreen
Fragrance
None
Flower Color
Cream, Pink, White
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer
Wildlife Supported
Birds are attracted to the fruit
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
Epinotia bigemina
Epinotia bigemina
*
Pseudochelaria scabrella
Pseudochelaria scabrella
*
Coleophora glaucella
Coleophora glaucella
Landscaping Information
Sun
Part Shade
Moisture
Very Low, Low
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 16
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 30° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium
Soil Description
This subspecies prefers eroded sandstone soils of marine deposits that are typical of coastal San Diego County. The preceding is not accurate. This plant is not a subspecies, and it is widespread in Southern California, not just in San Diego County.. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Hummingbird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens
Companion Plants
Quercus berberidifolia
,
Quercus dumosa
,
Ceanothus
tomentosus,
Heteromeles arbutifolia
,
Xylococcus bicolor
,
Cneoridium dumosum
,
Lonicera subspicata
var. denudata,
Artemisia californica
,
Baccharis pilularis
,
Diplacus puniceus
,
Rhus integrifolia
.
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: Slightly green or Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds 3 mos. stratification.
Natural Setting
Site Type
Dry shady, often north facing slopes of dense southern maritime chaparral on the coastal side of the Peninsular Range
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 11.0" - 34.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 0.79", Coldest Month: 45.9" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 62.7" - 77.4", Humidity: 0.92" - 22.18", Elevation: 24" - 3521"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: California Comarostaphylos, Summer-holly
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Summer Holly
Comarostaphylis diversifolia
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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