Description

Vine Hill manzanita is a rare manzanita from Sonoma County. Naturally rare, it has become only more scarce as its habitat has been consumed by development. The species now naturally occurs only in the one acre Vine Hill Preserve. Many selections of this vigorous manzanita have been taken over the years. Most of these are considered hybrids involving the Vine Hill manzanita and several other species which grow in the Vine Hill area. Complicating the situation is the fact that the ‘Harmony’ cultivar (as well as ‘Howard McMinn’ and ‘Sentinel’) was grown from seed by nurseryman Louis Edmunds in the late 1940s from seed collected in an unknown location. All these hybrids are well known for vigorous upright growth and bright green leaves held against smooth burnt red bark. ‘Harmony’ is the lowest growing selection at a mature height of about four feet. It stands out among the Vine Hill selections for its large leaves and compact size.