CISTUS MONSPELIENSIS

Family:- CISTACEAE

Common Name:- Narrow leaved cistus, Montpelier rock rose.

Synonyms:- Stephanocarpus monspeliensis.

Meaning:- Cistus (Gr) Capsule.

Monspeliensis (L) From Montpellier, S. France.

General description:- An erect or spreading shrub to 1m, though often less.

Stems:-

1) Up to 100 cm, erect, viscid.

Leaves:-

1) 15-50 x 4-8 mm, linear-lanceolate or linear, 3-veined, green and pubescent

above, stellate-tomentose beneath, sessile.

Flowers:-

1) Cymes, 2- to 8-flowered, unilateral.

2) Sepals, 5, the outer ovate, broadly cuneate at the base.

3) Flowers 2-3 cm diam, white.

4) Style, very short.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, loculicidal, with 5, 6 or 10 valves.

2) Seeds, with a more or less curved embryo; endosperm present.

Key features:-

1) Leaaves sessile or subsessile; narrowly lanceolate.

2) Petals c. 1 cm.

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation and open woodland. 0-500 rn. mainly on

noncalcareous substrates,

Distribution:- Coastal areas of west Greece, Mediterranean region, eastwards

locally to the Izmir area and Cyprus. Limited distribution and rare on Crete, mainly

around the Dikti massif area.

Flowering time:- Late Mar to early June.

Photo by:- Fotis Samaritakis

Status:- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.