The nearest location of a closely related species, P. parryi , is at Mount Hamilton about 50 miles inland. Habitat Description Scotts Valley polygonum occurs on gently sloping to nearly level fine-textured shallow soils over outcrops of Santa Cruz mudstone and Purisima sandstone. It occurs with the Scotts Valley spineflower and other small annual herbs in patches within isolated relictual grasslands. Elevation of the sites is from 700 to 800 feet. Range and Distribution Four colonies are known from two sites about one mile apart at the northern end of Scotts Valley.
Occupied habitat comprises less than one acre total.
The total number of individuals has varied between 200 to 1,000 individuals over the last few years. On the Glenwood site, colonies occur on two parcels previously proposed for a housing development, which was never initiated, by Glenwood Homes in the early 1990's. Several other colonies occur on adjacent land owned by Salvation Army. One of the pipelines and access roads will comes within 100 feet or less of several of the colonies on the Salvation Army parcel. At the Polo Ranch site, a cluster of colonies is on a parcel that was recently sold by Borland International to Greystone Homes, which plans to build 67 homes on the 84.5-acre parcel.