Summer holly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Summer holly |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Comarostaphylis
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| Species: |
diversifolia
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Comarostaphylis diversifolia, often called summer holly or California comarostaphylos, is a cool plant! It's a type of shrub that belongs to the heath family. You can find it growing naturally in Southern California and northern Baja California. It likes to live in coastal chaparral areas, which are dry, shrubby places near the coast.
What is Summer Holly Like?
Summer holly is a tall, upright shrub. It can grow to be over 4 meters (about 13 feet) high! Its bark is gray and looks like it's peeling off. The leaves are tough and stay green all year round. They are shaped like ovals and sometimes have small teeth along their edges.
Flowers and Fruits
The flowers of the summer holly grow in clusters called flower clusters. These clusters are shaped like a raceme, which means the flowers grow along a central stem. The individual flowers look like tiny urns. They are very similar to the flowers of other shrubs in the same family, like the manzanitas.
After the flowers, summer holly produces bright red, juicy fruits. These fruits are called drupes. They have a bumpy skin, making them look interesting.
Different Kinds of Summer Holly
Just like there can be different breeds of dogs, there are different types of summer holly called subspecies. These are slightly different versions of the same plant.
There are two main subspecies of Comarostaphylis diversifolia:
- Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. diversifolia: This type grows in the hills along the coast of Southern California and Baja California.
- Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. planifolia: This type is found on the Channel Islands of California and in the Transverse Ranges north of Los Angeles.
