Cistus salviifolius
Encyclopedia
Cistus salviifolius, common name Sage-leaved Rock Rose or Salvia Cistus, is a perennial ligneous plant of Cistaceae
Cistaceae
The Cistaceae is a small family of plants known for its beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom...

 family.

Etymology

The genus name Cistus
Cistus
Cistus is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species . They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal through to the Middle East, and also on the Canary Islands...

derives from the Greek words κίσϑος (kisthos) meaning basket , while the species name salviifolius refers the wrinkled leaves similar to those of the sage.

Description

Cistus salviifolius has spreading stems covered by clumpy hairs. This bushy shrub reaches on average 30–60 cm (11.8–23.6 ) in height, with a maximum of 100 centimetres (39.4 in). The oval-shaped green leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long, opposite, reticulate, tomentose on both sides, with a short petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

 (2-4 mm).

The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

 holds one or more round flowers, long-stalked, arranged at the leaf axils. The five white petals have a yellow spot at the base, forming a corolla 4-6 cm in diameter. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...

s are also yellow and the anthers shed abundant yellow pollen. This plant is pollinated by insects entomophily
Entomophily
Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects. Several insect are reported to be responsible for the pollination of many plant species, particularly bees, Lepidoptera , wasps, flies, ants and beetles. Some plant species co-evolved with a particular pollinator, such...

, especially bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...

s. The flowering period extends from April through May. The fruit is a pentagonal capsule, 5-7 mm long.

Cultivation

Cistus salviifolius cultivated in the nursery industry, and grown in gardens and public landscapes, often for its drought-tolerant and pollinator habitat attributes.

Distribution

This showy wildflower is native to the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and parts of Western Asia and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

.

Habitat

This plant prefers dry hills, scrubs and open woodlands, at an altitude of 0–1200 m (0–3,937 ) above sea level. It grows very quickly after a fire.

Synonyms

  • Cistus macrocalyx Sennen & Pau
    Carlos Pau y Español
    Carlos Pau y Español was a Spanish botanist.-External links:*...

  • Cistus paui Sennen
  • Cistus salomonis Sennen & Malag.
  • Cistus salviifolius [ß] macrocalyx Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [1] brevipedunculatus Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [2] longipedunculatus Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [alfa] vulgaris Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [delta] biflorus Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [epsilon] cymosus Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius [gamma] grandifolius Willk.
  • Cistus salviifolius var. fissipetalus Sennen
  • Cistus salviifolius var. occidentalis Rouy
    Rouy
    Rouy is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 585. On 1 January 2004, the estimate was 598.-References:*...

     & Foucaud
  • Cistus salviifolius var. rierae Sennen
  • Cistus salviifolius var. schizocalyx Sennen
    Sennen
    Sennen is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Sennen village is situated approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....

  • Cistus salviifolius L.
  • Ledonia peduncularis var. salviifolia (L.) Spach
  • Ledonia peduncularis Spach
    Édouard Spach
    Édouard Spach was a French botanist.The son of a merchant in Strasbourg, he went to Paris in 1824 where he studied botany with René Desfontaines and Antoine Laurent de Jussieu . He became the secretary of Charles-François Brisseau de Mirbel...


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