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''Cistus'' (from the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''kistos'') is a genus of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
s in the rockrose
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Cistaceae The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom. This family consists of about 170(-200) species in nine genera that ar ...
, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are
perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...
shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...
s found on dry or rocky soils throughout the
Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...
, from Morocco and Portugal through to the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, and also on the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...
. ''Cistus'', with its many hybrids and cultivars, is commonly encountered as a garden flower. The common name rockrose (rock rose in the UK) is applied to the species, a name also shared by the related genera '' Halimium'', ''
Helianthemum ''Helianthemum'' , known as rock rose, sunrose, rushrose, or frostweed,' ...
'' and '' Tuberaria'', all in the family Cistaceae. The common name ''gum cistus'' is applied to resin-bearing species, especially ''C. ladanifer''.


Description

The
leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
are
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
, opposite, simple, usually slightly rough-surfaced, 2–8 cm long. In a few species (notably ''C. ladanifer''), the leaves are coated with a highly aromatic
resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on nat ...
called
labdanum Labdanum, also called ladanum, ladan, or ladanon, is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs ''Cistus ladanifer'' (western Mediterranean) and '' Cistus creticus'' (eastern Mediterranean), species of rockrose. It was historically used in he ...
. They have showy 5-petaled
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s ranging from white to purple and dark pink, in a few species with a conspicuous dark red spot at the base of each petal.


Taxonomy


Phylogeny

''Cistus'' and '' Halimium'' form a cohesive and the most derived clade within
Cistaceae The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom. This family consists of about 170(-200) species in nine genera that ar ...
. Molecular phylogenetic analyses conducted between 2005 and 2011 confirm that ''Cistus'' species divide into two well-defined
clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...
s, neither of which was fully resolved internally. The first clade consists of those with purple and pink flowers (the "purple pink clade" or PPC). The second clade consists of those with white flowers or, in the case of ''Cistus parviflorus'', pale pink flowers (the "white or whitish pink clade" or WWPC). Although the flower colour of ''C. parviflorus'' is anomalous, it has very short styles, otherwise characteristic of WWPC species. A hybrid origin has been suggested. A simplified cladogram is shown below: Within the purple pink clade (PPC), ''C. crispus'' is consistently the first diverging species. ''C. albidus'', ''C. creticus'' and ''C. heterophyllus'' form a well supported clade. Seven species endemic to the Canary Islands form a
polytomy An internal node of a phylogenetic tree is described as a polytomy or multifurcation if (i) it is in a rooted tree and is linked to three or more child subtrees or (ii) it is in an unrooted tree and is attached to four or more branches. A tr ...
, resolved differently in different analyses, in which subtaxa of some species do not always cluster together. Within the white and whitish pink clade (WWPC), there is weak support for a clade consisting of ''C. clusii'' and ''C. munbyi''; the other species either formed part of a polytomy or resolved differently in different analyses. '' Halimium'' and ''Cistus'' were regularly shown to be
paraphyletic In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...
with respect to one another.


Species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Cistus'': *''
Cistus albidus ''Cistus albidus'', the grey-leaved cistus, is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with pink to purple flowers, native to south-western Europe and western north Africa. Description ''Cistus albidus'' grows up to tall. ...
'' L. *''
Cistus asper ''Cistus asper'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae with purple-pink flowers. It was first described in 2005 and is endemic to El Hierro in the Canary Islands. Phylogeny A 2011 molecular phylogenetic study placed '' ...
'' Demoly & R.Mesa *''
Cistus atlanticus ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean regio ...
'' (Humbert & Maire) Demoly *''
Cistus atriplicifolius ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean regio ...
'' Lam. *''
Cistus calycinus ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean r ...
'' L. *''
Cistus chinamadensis ''Cistus chinamadensis'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with purple-pink flowers, first described in 1991. It is endemic to the Canary Islands, where three subspecies occur on three separate islands (Tenerife, La ...
'' Bañares & P.Romero *''
Cistus clusii ''Cistus clusii'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with white flowers, native to south west and south central Europe and north Africa. It has been wrongly called ''Cistus libanotis'' by many authors. Description ' ...
'' Dunal *'' Cistus creticus'' L. *'' Cistus crispus'' L. *'' Cistus formosus'' Curtis *'' Cistus grancanariae'' Marrero Rodr., R.S.Almeida & C.Ríos *''
Cistus halimifolius ''Cistus'' (from the Greek language, Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family (biology), family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are Perennial plant, perennial shrubs found on dry ...
'' L. *''
Cistus heterophyllus ''Cistus heterophyllus'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. Description ''Cistus heterophyllus'' grows up to tall, forming an erect, much-branched shrub. Its leaves are elliptical to lanceolate in shape, usually l ...
'' Desf. *''
Cistus horrens ''Cistus horrens'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with purple to pink flowers. It is endemic to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. First described as a species in 2004, it was previously identified as ''Cistus ...
'' Demoly *'' Cistus inflatus'' Pourr. ex J.-P.Demoly, syn. ''Cistus psilosepalus'' Sweet *''
Cistus ladanifer ''Cistus ladanifer'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose. Description It is a shr ...
'' L., including ''Cistus palhinhae'' N.D.Ingram – Gum Rockrose *'' Cistus lasianthus'' Lam. *'' Cistus lasiocalycinus'' (Boiss. & Reut.) Byng & Christenh. *''
Cistus laurifolius ''Cistus laurifolius'', commonly called laurel-leaf cistus, laurel-leaved cistus or laurel-leaved rock rose, is a species of highly branched flowering evergreen shrub native to some areas around the Mediterranean. Description It grows high. The ...
'' L. *''
Cistus libanotis ''Cistus libanotis'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with white flowers. It has been confused with '' Cistus clusii'', which it resembles, resulting in some uncertainty in its distribution. It is endemic to the Ib ...
'' L. *'' Cistus macrocalycinus'' (Pau) Byng & Christenh. *''
Cistus monspeliensis ''Cistus monspeliensis'' is a species of rockrose known by the common name Montpellier cistus. It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecosystems of matorral—maquis shrublands. D ...
'' L. – Montpellier Cistus *''
Cistus munbyi ''Cistus munbyi'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with white flowers. Related to and resembling ''Cistus clusii'', it is native to Morocco and Algeria in western north Africa. Description ''Cistus munbyi'' has na ...
'' Pomel *''
Cistus ocreatus ''Cistus ocreatus'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with purple-pink flowers. It is sometimes treated as synonymous with ''Cistus symphytifolius'' or as its subspecies ''C. symphytifolius'' subsp. ''leucophyl ...
'' C.Sm. *'' Cistus ocymoides'' Lam. *'' Cistus osbeckiifolius'' Webb *''
Cistus palhinhae ''Cistus ladanifer'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose. Description It is a shrub ...
'' N.D.Ingram *'' Cistus palmensis'' Bañares & Demoly *'' Cistus parviflorus'' Lam. *'' Cistus populifolius'' L. *'' Cistus pouzolzii'' Delile ex Gren. & Godr. *'' Cistus salviifolius'' L. – Salvia Cistus *'' Cistus sintenisii'' Litard. (syn. ''C. albanicus'') *''
Cistus symphytifolius ''Cistus symphytifolius'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is endemic to the Canary Islands". Phylogeny ''Cistus symphytifolius'' belongs to the clade of species with purple and pink flowers (the "purple pink ...
'' Lam. *'' Cistus tauricus'' C.Presl *'' Cistus umbellatus'' L.


Gallery

Image:Cistus albidus(estepa blanca).jpg, ''Cistus albidus'' photo taken near
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Image:Cistus May 2014-11.jpg, ''Cistus crispus'' Image:Cistus_heterophyllus.jpg, ''Cistus heterophyllus'' subsp. ''carthaginensis''. Critically endangered cistus from Cartagena (Spain). Image: Cistus libanotis.JPG, ''Cistus libanotis'' Photo taken near
Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
. Image:Cistus salviifolius (plant).jpg, ''Cistus salviifolius''


Hybrids

In addition a large number of hybrids have been recorded, including: * ''Cistus'' × ''aguilari'' O.E.Warb. ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. populifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''akamantis'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''albereensis'' Gaut. ex Rouy & Fouc. * ''Cistus'' × ''banaresii'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''canescens'' Sweet * ''Cistus'' × ''cebennensis'' Aubin & J.Prudhomme * ''Cistus'' × ''cheiranthoides'' Lam. * ''Cistus'' × ''clausonii'' Font Quer & Maire * ''Cistus'' × ''conradiae'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''corbariensis'' Pourr. ('' C. populifolius'' × '' C. salviifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''cyprius'' Lam. ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. laurifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''dansereaui'' P.Silva ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. inflatus'') * ''Cistus'' × ''escartianus'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''florentinus'' Lam. ('' C. monspeliensis'' × '' C. salviifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''hybridus'' Pourr. * ''Cistus'' × ''incanus'' L. ('' C. albidus'' × '' C. crispus'') * ''Cistus'' × ''ingwersenii'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''laxus'' Aiton ('' C. populifolius'' × '' C. inflatus'' ?) * ''Cistus'' × ''ledon'' Lam. ('' C. laurifolius'' × '' C. monspeliensis'') * ''Cistus'' × ''matritensis'' Carazo Roman & Jiménez Alb. * ''Cistus'' × ''nigricans'' Pourr. ('' C. populifolius'' × '' C. monspeliensis'') * ''Cistus'' × ''novus'' Rouy * ''Cistus'' × ''obtusifolius'' Sweet ('' C. inflatus'' × '' C. salviifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''pauranthus'' Demoly ('' C. parviflorus'' × '' C. salviifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''philothei'' Sennen & Mauricio * ''Cistus'' × ''platysepalus'' Sweet ('' C. monspeliensis'' × '' C. inflatus'') * ''Cistus'' × ''pourretii'' Rouy & Foucaud * ''Cistus'' × ''purpureus'' Lam. ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. creticus'') * ''Cistus'' × ''rodiaei'' Verg. ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. albidus'') * ''Cistus'' × ''santae'' (Sauvage) Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''skanbergii'' Lojac. ('' C. parviflorus'' × '' C. monspeliensis'') * ''Cistus'' × ''stenophyllus'' Link ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. monspeliensis'') * ''Cistus'' × ''timbalii'' Demoly * ''Cistus'' × ''verguinii'' Coste ('' C. ladanifer'' × '' C. salviifolius'') * ''Cistus'' × ''vinyalsii'' Sennen


Ecology

They are thermophilous plants, which require open, sunny places. This plant genus is peculiar in that it has developed a range of specific adaptations to resist summer drought and frequent disturbance events, such as fire and grazing. In addition, it can form both
ectomycorrhiza An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or my ...
s and
arbuscular mycorrhiza An arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) (plural ''mycorrhizae'', a.k.a. ''endomycorrhiza'') is a type of mycorrhiza in which the symbiont fungus (''AM fungi'', or AMF) penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a vascular plant forming arbuscules. ( ...
s. More than 200 ectomycorrhiza-forming fungal species belonging to 40 genera have been reported so far to be associated with ''Cistus''. As with many other Cistaceae, the species of ''Cistus'' have the ability to form
mycorrhiza   A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plan ...
l associations with
truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...
(''Tuber'') and are thus able to thrive on poor sandy soils or rocks. ''
Cistus ladanifer ''Cistus ladanifer'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose. Description It is a shr ...
'' has been found to have mycorrhizal associations with ''
Boletus edulis ''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino or porcini) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus ''Boletus''. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not occu ...
'', ''
Boletus rhodoxanthus ''Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus'' is a species of bolete in the family Boletaceae, native to Europe. Previously known as ''Boletus rhodoxanthus'', it was transferred in 2014 to the newly erected genus '' Rubroboletus'', based on DNA data. It produ ...
'', and '' Laccaria laccata''. ''Cistus'' are the only host of '' Cytinus hypocistis'', a small
parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
plant that lives on the roots and is noticeable only for a short period of time when in flower. The presence of the parasite does not seem to harm the host population. ''Cistus'' species are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...
e of some
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...
species including '' Coleophora confluella'' and '' Coleophora helianthemella'', the latter recorded on ''Cistus monspeliensis''. Various ''Cistus'' species are known to emit volatile oils, rendering the plants flammable.


Cultivation

Cistuses are suitable for sunny gardens with a nearly frost-free
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
. The hardiest of the species is ''C. laurifolius'', which survived the hard frost at
Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
in 1895 that eliminated all the cistuses save this and two white-flowered natural hybrids, ''C.'' × ''corbariensis'', already grown by
John Tradescant the Elder John Tradescant the Elder (; c. 1570s – 15–16 April 1638), father of John Tradescant the Younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller. On 18 June 1607 he married Elizabeth Day of Meopham in Kent, England. She had been ...
, and ''C.'' × ''loretii'', a 19th-century introduction.


Cultivars

Cultivars (those marked have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
) include: *''C.'' × ''aguilarii'' 'Maculatus' *''C.'' × ''argenteus'' 'Peggy Sammons' - pink flowers, grey-green leaves *''C''. × ''bornetianus'' ‘Jester’ *''C.'' × ''cyprius'' *''C.'' × ''cyprius'' var. ''ellipticus'' 'Elma' *''C.'' × ''dansereaui'' 'Decumbens' *''C.'' × ''dansereaui'' 'Jenkyn Place' *''C.'' × ''florentinus'' - white flowers *''C.'' ’Gordon Cooper’ *''C.'' × ''hybridus'' - pink buds, white flowers *''C''. × ''laxus'' ‘Snow White’ *''C.'' × ''lenis'' 'Grayswood Pink' *''C''. × ''obtusifolius'' ‘Thrive’ *C.'' 'Paladin' - large white flowers, dark green leaves *''C.'' × ''pulverulentus'' 'Sunset' * ''C''. × ''purpureus'' - pink petals with dark blotches near centre *''C.'' × ''skanbergii'' - small pink flowers *''C.'' 'Snow Fire' * ×''Halimiocistus'' 'Ingwersenii' *×''Halimiocistus sahucii''


Gallery

File:Cistus ladanifer hybride.JPG, ''Cistus'' × ''dansereaui'' File:Cistus-hybridus.jpg, ''Cistus'' × ''hybridus'' File:Cistus purpureus.jpg, ''Cistus'' × ''purpureus'' File:Cistus skanbergii + Cistus verguinii-Clapiers-4144~2015 05 03.JPG, ''Cistus'' × ''skanbergii'' (pale pink) and ''Cistus'' × ''verguinii'' (white and spotted)


References


Bibliography

* Proposes merging ''Cistus'' and ''Halimium''. * * * * *


External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q206127 Malvales genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus