''Cistus salviifolius'', common names sage-leaved rock-rose, salvia cistus or Gallipoli rose, 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 ...

of the family Cistaceae.

Etymology

The genus name ''

Cistus ''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 region ...

'' 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.Acta Plantarum
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Description

''Cistus salviifolius'' has spreading stems covered by clumpy hairs. This bushy shrub reaches on average in height, with a maximum of . The oval-shaped green leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long, opposite, reticulate, tomentose on both sides, with a short petiole (2–4 mm).Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 122. 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

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are also yellow and the anthers shed abundant yellow pollen. This plant is pollinated by insects ( entomophily), especially by

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

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

Phylogeny

''Cistus salviifolius'' belongs to the white and whitish pink flowered clade of ''Cistus'' species.

Gallery

File:Cistus salviifolius 5.JPG, Plants of ''Cistus salviifolius'' File:Cistaceae - Cistus salviifolius-1.JPG, Close-up on a flower of ''Cistus salviifolius'' File:Cistusfruits.jpg, Fruits of ''Cistus salviifolius'' File:Cistus salviifolius fruit Corse.jpg, Close-up on a fruit of ''Cistus salviifolius'' File:Cistaceae - Cistus salviifolius.JPG, 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.

Distribution

This showy wildflower is native to the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and parts of Western Asia and North Africa.

Habitat

This plant prefers dry hills,

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, Herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or ...

and open woodlands, at an altitude of above sea level. It regrows very quickly following a fire.

Synonyms

Other synonyms reported by

The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant species ...

include: *''Cistus apricus'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus arrigens'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus elegans'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus fruticans'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus humilis'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus microphyllus'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus platyphyllus'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus rhodanensis'' Timb.-Lagr. *''Cistus sideritis'' C.Presl *''Cistus velutinus'' Timb.-Lagr.

Chemistry

''Cistus salviifolius'' contains

flavan-3ol Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of comp ...

s, oligomeric proanthocyanidins and prodelphinidins such as epigallocatechin-3-O-(4-hydroxybenzoate), epigallocatechin-(4β→8)-epigallocatechin,

epigallocatechin -3-O-gallate-(4β→8)-epigallocatechin Gallocatechol or gallocatechin (GC) is a flavan-3-ol, a type of chemical compound including catechin, with the gallate residue being in an isomeric trans position. This compound possesses two epimers. The most common, (+)-gallocatechin (GC), CAS ...

, epigallocatechin-(4β→6)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 1-O-β-d -(6′-O-galloyl)-glucopyranosyl-3-methoxy-5-hydroxybenzene, epigallocatechin-(4β→8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 1-O-β-d- glucopyranosyl-3-methoxy-5-hydroxybenzene and

rhododendrin Rhododendrin (betuloside) is an arylbutanoid glycoside and a phenylpropanoid, a type of natural phenol. It can be found in the leaves of ''Rhododendron aureum'' or in ''Cistus salviifolius''. ''In vitro'', it shows analgesic, anti-inflammatory a ...

(betuloside). It also contains ellagitannins of the punicalagin type.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,

References

External links

* * *
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Cistus salviifolius''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q136801 Flora of France salviifolius Drought-tolerant plants Flora of Italy Flora of Lebanon Flora of Morocco Flora of North Africa Flora of Portugal Flora of Spain Flora of Western Asia Garden plants of Africa Garden plants of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Bulgaria Flora of the Mediterranean Basin