Cistus salviifolius, common names sage-leaved rock-rose,[1]salvia cistus[2] or Gallipoli rose, is a
shrub of the family
Cistaceae.
Etymology
The genus name Cistus derives from the
Ancient Greek words κίσθος (kisthos) meaning basket, while the species name salviifolius refers the wrinkled leaves similar to those of the sage.[3]
Description
Cistus salviifolius has spreading stems covered by clumpy hairs. This bushy shrub reaches on average 30–60 centimetres (12–24 in) in height, with a maximum of 100 centimetres (39 in). The oval-shaped green leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long, opposite, reticulate, tomentose on both sides, with a short
petiole (2–4 mm).[4]
The
inflorescence 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
stamens are also yellow and the anthers shed abundant yellow pollen. This plant is pollinated by insects (
entomophily), especially by
bees. The flowering period extends from April through May. The fruit is a pentagonal capsule, 5–7 mm long.[4]
Phylogeny
Cistus salviifolius belongs to the white and whitish pink flowered clade of Cistus species.
Species-level cladogram of Cistus species, based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences.[5][6][7][8]
Gallery
Plants of Cistus salviifolius
Close-up on a flower of Cistus salviifolius
Fruits of Cistus salviifolius
Close-up on a fruit of Cistus salviifolius
Leaves of Cistus salviifolius
Cultivation
Cistus salviifolius cultivated in the nursery industry, and grown in gardens and public landscapes, often for its
drought-tolerant and pollinator habitat attributes.
This plant prefers dry hills,
scrubland and open woodlands, at an altitude of 0–1,200 metres (0–3,937 ft) above sea level.[4] It regrows very quickly following a fire.
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.).
"Cistus salviifolius". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^
abcdPignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 122.
^Guzmán, B. & Vargas, P. (2005). "Systematics, character evolution, and biogeography of Cistus L. (Cistaceae) based on ITS, trnL-trnF, and matK sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (3): 644–660.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.026.
PMID16055353.
^Guzmán, B. & Vargas, P. (2009). "Historical biogeography and character evolution of Cistaceae (Malvales) based on analysis of plastid rbcL and trnL-trnF sequences". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 9 (2): 83–99.
doi:
10.1016/j.ode.2009.01.001.
^Antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidins from Cistus salvifolius. Fadi Qa’dan, Frank Petereit, Kenza Mansoor and Adolf Nahrstedt, Natural Product Research, Volume 20, Issue 13, 2006, pages 1216-1224,
doi:
10.1080/14786410600899225
^Flavan-3-ols, prodelphinidins and further polyphenols from Cistus salvifolius. Andreas Danne, Frank Petereit and Adolf Nahrstedt, Phytochemistry, 37, (2), 1994, Pages 533–538,
doi:
10.1016/0031-9422(94)85094-1
^Simultaneous LC-DAD and LC-MS Determination of Ellagitannins, Flavonoid Glycosides, and Acyl-Glycosyl Flavonoids in Cistus salvifolius L. Leaves. E. Saracini, M. Tattini, M. L. Traversi, F. F. Vincieri and P. Pinelli, Chromatographia, Volume 62, Numbers 5-6, pages 245-249,
doi:
10.1365/s10337-005-0623-7