''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. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
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 wide ...
shrubs 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 ...
, from Morocco and Portugal through to the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, and also on the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...
.
''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 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, which ...
, 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 n ...
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 ...
.
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 mechanism ...
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 clades, 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
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...
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 (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
with respect to one another.[
]
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Cistus'':[
*'' Cistus albidus'' 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'' (Humbert & Maire) Demoly
*'' Cistus atriplicifolius'' 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 regio ...
'' 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, L ...
'' 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
''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 ...
'' Curtis
*''Cistus grancanariae
''Cistus grancanariae'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. 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.
Description
''Cistus grancanariae'' i ...
'' Marrero Rodr., R.S.Almeida & C.Ríos
*'' Cistus halimifolius'' L.
*'' Cistus heterophyllus'' 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'' L., including ''Cistus palhinhae'' N.D.Ingram – Gum Rockrose
*'']Cistus lasianthus
''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 ...
'' Lam.
*''Cistus lasiocalycinus
''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 regi ...
'' (Boiss. & Reut.) Byng & Christenh.
*'' Cistus laurifolius'' L.
*'' Cistus libanotis'' 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 n ...
'' 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. ''leucoph ...
'' C.Sm.[
*'']Cistus ocymoides
''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 ...
'' Lam.
*''Cistus osbeckiifolius
''Cistus osbeckiifolius'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae, with pink to purple flowers.
Description
''Cistus osbeckiifolius'' is a shrub usually up to tall, although it may reach . Its three-nerved leaves are nar ...
'' 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 sh ...
'' N.D.Ingram
*''Cistus palmensis
''Cistus palmensis'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant 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 t ...
'' Bañares & Demoly
*''Cistus parviflorus
''Cistus parviflorus'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant 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 ...
'' Lam.
*'' Cistus populifolius'' L.
*''Cistus pouzolzii
''Cistus pouzolzii'' is a 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. ...
'' Delile ex Gren. & Godr.
*''Cistus salviifolius
''Cistus salviifolius'', common names sage-leaved rock-rose, salvia cistus or Gallipoli rose, is a shrub of the family Cistaceae.
Etymology
The genus name ''Cistus'' derives from the Ancient Greek words ''κίσθος'' (''kisthos'') meaning bas ...
'' 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
''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 ...
'' C.Presl
*''Cistus umbellatus
''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 ...
'' L.
Gallery
Image:Cistus albidus(estepa blanca).jpg, ''Cistus albidus'' photo taken near Sitges
Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nightspot ...
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 mycob ...
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 mycorrhizal 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'', '' Pezi ...
(''Tuber'') and are thus able to thrive on poor sandy soils or rocks. '' Cistus ladanifer'' 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 prod ...
'', 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.
Th ...
e of some Lepidoptera 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 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 bee ...
, 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 (No ...
'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