''Cistus ladanifer'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose.

Description

It 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. They are distinguished from trees ...

growing tall and wide. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are evergreen, lanceolate, 3–10 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are 5–8 cm diameter, with 5 papery white petals, usually with a red to maroon spot at the base, surrounding the yellow stamens and pistils. The whole plant is covered with the sticky exudate of fragrant resin, the source of labdanum, used in herbal medicine and perfumery.

Ecology

''C. ladanifer'' is particularly well suited to the Mediterranean climate, standing both long summer droughts and cold weather. It is an extremely aggressive plant which has taken over much of former farmland and grasslands in the mountain regions of central Spain and much of southern Portugal. In Spanish it is known as ''Jara pringosa'' meaning "sticky shrub". In Portuguese it is known as "esteva". It has been found to have

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...

l associations with '' Boletus edulis'', ''

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''.

Systematics

The wide distribution and morphological variation of ''C. ladanifer'' across northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and southern France has resulted in the recognition of three sub-species: subspp. ''ladanifer'', ''sulcatus'', and ''africanus''.

Subspecies

*''C. ladanifer'' subsp. ''ladanifer'' — Endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, France, Morocco and the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

. *''C. ladanifer'' subsp. ''mauritianus'' Pau & Sennen — Endemic to Morocco, Algeria and southern Spain ( Málaga Province). *''C. ladanifer'' subsp. ''sulcatus'' Demoly, syn. ''C. palhinhae'' Ingram — Endemic to western coastal Portugal.

Phylogeny

''C. ladanifer'' is placed within the ''C. salvifolius'' group within the white and whitish pink flowered clade of ''Cistus'' species. Phylogenetic and divergence dating methods found that ''C. ladanifer'' diverged during the Pleistocene, long after the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar around 5

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, which supports a hypothesis of dispersal for this species.Guzmán, B. and P. Vargas. 2009. Long-distance colonization of the Western Mediterranean by ''Cistus ladanifer'' (Cistaceae) despite the absence of special dispersal mechanisms. Journal of Biogeography 36:954-968. Although its seeds fall close to the maternal plant,Bastida, F. and S. Talavera. 2002. Temporal and spatial patterns of seed dispersal in two Cistus species (Cistaceae). Annals of Botany 89:427-434. ''C. ladanifer'' may have successfully dispersed due to its preference for disturbed habitats.

Uses

It is a popular ornamental plant, grown for its strongly resin-scented foliage and conspicuous flowers. Its leaves yield a fragrant oleoresin known as labdanum, used in perfumes, especially as a fixative. (Not to be confused with "Laudanum", another name for tincture of opium). This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society'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 ...

Description

Ecology

Systematics

Subspecies

Phylogeny

Uses

See also

References

External links

Databases