title: Comarostaphylis diversifolia
text: # Comarostaphylis diversifolia
  
  Comarostaphylis diversifolia, known by the common names summer holly and California comarostaphylos, is a species of shrub in the heath family.
  
  It is native to Southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in coastal chaparral habitat.
  
  ## Description
  
  Comarostaphylis diversifolia is an erect shrub which can exceed 4 metres (13 ft) in height. Its bark is gray and shreddy and the tough, evergreen leaves are oval in shape and sometimes toothed.
  
  The inflorescence 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.
  
  ### Subspecies
  
  There are two subspecies:
  
  * Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. diversifolia - native to the coastal hills of Southern California and Baja California.
  * Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. planifolia - native to the Channel Islands of California and the Transverse Ranges north of Los Angeles.
  