Cistus albidus - Grey-leaved Cistus - (Cistaceae)

In the UK these shrubs are much-loved garden plants, but it is in the Mediterranean region that they really come into their own: vast tracts of hillsides (particularly in Portugal and Spain) are smothered with various species of these members of the Rockrose family.

Cistus albidus

A Grey-leaved Cistus flowers from March to June and can be found in maquis, garrigue, open woodland, on steep slopes and rocky ground. Some of the other cistus species to be found in the Mediterranean include Cistus ladanifer (Gum Cistus), and Cistus salvifoloius (Sage-leaved Cistus).

The leaves of the plants are very tough, and in the case of Gum Cistus, exude a very sticky, shiny substance from which it gets its name. The flowers, by comparison, seem very fragile and have wafer-thin, crumpled looking petals: they are nontheless beautiful for that, and it is easy to see why Cistus is such a well-loved addition to British gardens.

Cistus shrubs are frequently parasitised by a most interesting plant - Cytinus hypocistis. From mid-April onwards a quick look around the roots of Cistus shrubs should soon reveal this interesting 'passenger'.

This specimen was photographed in the Algarve, Portugal in April.