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Cistus is a genus of flowering plant
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s in the rockrose family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 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. This family consists of about 170-200 species in eight genera, distributed primarily in the temperate areas of Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but also found in North America; a limited number of specie...
, containing about 20 species (Ellul et al. 2002). They are perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
 and Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 through to the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, and also on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a Spain archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union....
. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
, 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
Resin

Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly Pinophyta. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume....
 called labdanum
Labdanum

Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Gum rockrose and Cistus creticus , species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient....
.






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Encyclopedia


Cistus is a genus of flowering plant
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s in the rockrose family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 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. This family consists of about 170-200 species in eight genera, distributed primarily in the temperate areas of Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but also found in North America; a limited number of specie...
, containing about 20 species (Ellul et al. 2002). They are perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
 and Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 through to the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, and also on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a Spain archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union....
. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
, 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
Resin

Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly Pinophyta. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume....
 called labdanum
Labdanum

Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Gum rockrose and Cistus creticus , species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient....
. They have showy 5-petaled flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
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., and together with its many hybrids and cultivars is commonly encountered as a garden flower.

The common name rockrose is applied to the species, a name also shared by the related genera Halimium
Halimium

Halimium is a genus of 12 species of evergreen or semi-evergreen subshrubs in the family Cistaceae, closely related to Helianthemum. They are native to Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor, with the centre of diversity in the western Mediterranean region....
, Helianthemum
Helianthemum

Helianthemum is a genus of about 110 species of evergreen or semi-evergreen subshrubs. They are widely distributed in the Americas, Europe, and from North Africa to Asia Minor and Central Asia, with the centre of diversity in the Mediterranean region....
 and Tuberaria
Tuberaria

Tuberaria is a genus of about 112 species of annual plant or perennial plant plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, native to western and southern Europe....
, all in the family Cistaceae.

Species
  • Cistus albanicus
  • Cistus albidus
  • Cistus chinamadensis
  • Cistus clusii
  • Cistus creticus
    Cistus creticus

    Cistus creticus is a species of shrubby plant in the family Cistaceae. Though it usually has pink flowers, of 4.5-5 cm diameter, this species is very variable....
  • Cistus crispus
  • Cistus heterophyllus
  • Cistus incanus
  • Cistus ladanifer – Gum Rockrose
  • Cistus laurifolius
  • Cistus libanotis
  • Cistus monspeliensis – Montpelier Cistus
  • Cistus munbyi
  • Cistus osbeckiaefolius
  • Cistus parviflorus
  • Cistus populifolius
  • Cistus psilosepalus
  • Cistus salviifolius
    Cistus salviifolius

    Cistus salviifolius is a species of Cistaceae. Its common names include salvia cistus. This is a showy wildflower native to southern Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa....
     – Salvia Cistus
  • Cistus symphytifolius
  • Cistus varius


    • Ecology

    They are thermophilous plants, which require open, sunny places. As with many other Cistaceae, the species of Cistus have the ability to form mycorrhiza
    Mycorrhiza

    A mycorrhiza is a symbiosis association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. In a mycorrhizal association the fungus may colonize the roots of a host plant either intracellularly or extracellularly....
    l associations with truffle
    Truffle

    A truffle is a fungal fruiting body that develops underground and relies on mycophagy for spore dispersal. Almost all truffles are ectomycorrhizal and are therefore usually found in close association with trees....
    s (Tuber) and are thus able to thrive on poor sandy soils or rocks.

    Cistus are the only host of Cytinus hypocistis, a small parasitic 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 hurt the host population.

    Cistus species are used as food plants by the larva
    Larva

    A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
    e of some Lepidoptera
    Lepidoptera

    Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
     species including Coleophora confluella
    Coleophora

    Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions....
     and Coleophora helianthemella
    Coleophora

    Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions....
    , the latter recorded on Cistus monspeliensis.

    Medical Use

    Several research groups have a special extract of the rockrose (C. incanus ssp. Tauricus) can show that the propagation of the virus flu
    Influenza

    Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease that affects birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the biological family Orthomyxoviridae ....
     viruses (influenza
    Influenza

    Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease that affects birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the biological family Orthomyxoviridae ....
    ) significantly inhibits in vitro without resistance. Possibly, this research to a new treatment for the flu virus, including bird flu
    Bird flu

    Bird flu may refer to:Biology and disease* Avian influenza, influenza endemic to birds.* Influenzavirus A, the causative agent for bird flu; the genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family....
    . The effectiveness in humans, however, with scientific studies have not yet been established.

    External links

    • Ellul P., M. Boscaiu, O. Vicente, V. Moreno, J. A. Rossello (2002). Intra- and Interspecific Variation in DNA Content in Cistus (Cistaceae). Annals of Botany 90 (3): 345-351 (available online: | ).
    • Page, R. G.