''Cistus ladanifer'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of flowering plant in the family

Cistaceae The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom. This family consists of about 170(-200) species in nine genera that ar ...

. 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 growing tall and wide. The

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

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 Labdanum, also called ladanum, ladan, or ladanon, is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs ''Cistus ladanifer'' (western Mediterranean) and ''Cistus creticus'' (eastern Mediterranean), species of rockrose. It was historically used in her ...

, 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 mycorrhizal associations with ''

Boletus edulis ''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino or porcini) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus ''Boletus''. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not o ...

'', ''

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 produ ...

'', and ''

Laccaria laccata ''Laccaria laccata'', commonly known as the deceiver, or waxy laccaria, is a white-spored species of small edible mushroom found throughout North America and Europe. It is a highly variable mushroom (hence 'deceiver'), and can look quite washed ...

''.

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 ...

. *''C. ladanifer'' subsp. ''mauritianus'' Pau & Sennen — Endemic to Morocco,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and southern Spain (

Málaga Province Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

). *''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 mya, 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 Oleoresins are semi-solid extracts composed of resin and essential or fatty oil, obtained by evaporation of the solvents used for their production. The oleoresin of conifers is known as crude turpentine or gum turpentine, which consists of oil of ...

known as

, 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