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Cistus ladanifer
Also called Gum rockrose, Labdanum, Brown-eyed rockrose, Gum Rock Rose, Laudanum
Common gum cistus is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub grown for its large white flowers and resin-scented foliage. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and tolerates long dry summers.
Cistus ladanifer is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose.
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 rhodoxanthus, and Laccaria laccata.
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).
Hoary rock-rose · Laurel Leaved Cistus · Montpelier cistus · Salvia cistus · Rockrose
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cistus ladanifer by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
