''Cistus asper'' is a
shrub
A shrub or 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 trees by their multiple ...
by
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the family
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 eight genera that are ...
with purple-pink flowers. It was first described in 2005 and is endemic to
El Hierro in the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
.
[
]
Phylogeny
A 2011 molecular phylogenetic study placed ''C. asper'' as a member of the purple and pink flowered clade of ''Cistus'' species, along with some other Canary Island endemics ('' Cistus chinamadensis'', '' Cistus horrens'', '' Cistus ocreatus'', and '' Cistus symphytifolius'').[
]
References
asper
Plants described in 2005
Endemic flora of the Canary Islands
{{Malvales-stub