Foote wrote that much of the Cupertino District was thin land covered with chemissal, with no reputation for fertility, so that planting grapes there was thought a waste of money. When the vines flourished, he concluded that the despised chemissal land was their true home. Chamise chaparral still covers the hotter slopes of Rancho San Antonio.
Questions people ask
What is chemissal?
Chamise, the chaparral shrub of the dry foothills.