''Cistus grancanariae'' 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 ...

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), ...

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 ...

. It was described for the first time in 2008. It is endemic to a small area in the north of the island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

Description

''Cistus grancanariae'' is a

, usually high, densely branched, with grey-green leaves clustered towards the end of the branches. The oppositely arranged leaves are around long by wide, with three (or occasionally up to five) very obvious main veins. The upper sides of the leaves are covered with short stellate (star-shaped) hairs and long simple hairs, some glandular. The undersides of the leaves are whitish and more densely covered with hairs. The flowers are arranged in

cymes In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( ped ...

, with 3–25 flowers to each

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

. Individual flowers are across. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are white, more-or-less rounded, about long and wide, with a wavy truncated apex and a short narrowed pale yellow tinged base. There are 35-70

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s, longer than the

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

, with filaments long. The

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

is very short, usually less than long. Fertilized flowers produce 7–20 blackish-brown seeds up to long.

Taxonomy

''Cistus grancanariae'' was first described in 2008 by Águedo Marrero, Rafael Almeida and Carlos Ríos. One of the group of white-flowered species of ''Cistus'', it was previously mistaken for ''

Cistus monspeliensis ''Cistus monspeliensis'' is a species of Cistaceae, rockrose known by the common name Montpellier cistus or narrow-leaved cistus. It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecosystems o ...

'', common in Gran Canaria. The leaves of the two species are different: ''C. monspeliensis'' has narrower leaves, more rolled under at the edges (more revolute), with upper surfaces that are green, sticky (viscous), and without stellate hairs.

Distribution and habitat

''Cistus grancanariae'' is only found in a small region in the north of the island of

in the Canary Islands, at elevations of , where it can form quite extensive stands. There are two main populations (Cabo Verde–Los Toscales and the Montaña de Guía) and three that are more fragmented. Plants are found in areas affected by human activity, such as deforestation, cultivation and grazing. The region is influenced by moist Atlantic winds, and has a Mediterranean-type climate, generally somewhat arid or with only seasonal rainfall, totalling a year.

Conservation

''Cistus grancanariae'' grows only in a limited area. Two of its locations are within protected areas, but these contain few individuals. Most of its range is unprotected and subject to human disturbance. In view of these factors, Marrero et al. consider that the species is eligible for vulnerable (VU) status under the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

criteria.

References

External links

*; includes distribution map *; includes photographs {{Taxonbar, from=Q15330085 grancanariae Plants described in 2008 Flora of Gran Canaria Endemic flora of the Canary Islands