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Cistaceae FAMILY

Cistus creticus

Cistus creticus

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Cistus creticus is native to the Mediterranean region, with its hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. It is not very hardy outside the milder regions of the temperate zone, able to tolerate winter temperatures dipping occasionally to around -8°c so long as the soil is fairly dry[1]. A covering of bracken or leafy branches in severe weather is a help, and will often save plants that would otherwise perish[2]. Plants are also somewhat hardier when grown in poor soils[3]. Cistus species generally grow best in a sunny position in a well-drained light sandy soil[2, 3]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[2, 4]. Tolerates maritime exposure[5]. The plant has a wide-spreading, shallow root system that does not compete well with the roots of other species[6]. Many members of this genus yield a fragrant gum, known as ladanum (or labdanum), which is used in perfumery and as a medicine. This species is considered to be the most prolific producer of the gum[2], and it is sometimes cultivated, especially in Cyprus, on the southern coast of Crimea and on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea[7]. . A very polymorphic species, as can be seen from the large number of synonyms. Whilst this species is the main source of the fragrant gum ladanum, it should be noted that some of its many forms do not yield much gum[2]. There is a mauve-flowered variety of this species that is the most prolific producer of the resin[8]. The leaves, which exude a balsamic resin, are especially fragrant on warm sunny days[8]. This is usually a short-lived plant in cultivation, it probably exhausts itself by its very free-flowering habit[PFAF]. However, plants will often self-sow when growing in a suitable position[9]. Individual flowers only last one day but there is a long succession of them[10]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[11]. Dislikes pruning or root disturbance[3, 10]. Plants should be pot grown and then planted out in their final positions whilst still small[10]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[10]. In cultivation, Cistus species will often hybridize freely with other members of the genus[10]. Cistus species form ectomychorrizal roots, developing symbiotic relationships with various mychorrizal fungal species, mainly belonging to the genus Lactarius[12]. This relationship aids the plants in water and nutrient uptake often helping the host plant to survive adverse conditions whilst, in exchange, the fungal symbiont is provided with access to carbohydrates.

Propagation

Seed - gather when ripe and store dry[13]. Surface sow in late winter in a greenhouse[14]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 20°c[14]. Seeds in the wild are more likely to germinate following a forest fire[12], so it could be worth giving the seedlings heat treatment by placing a small amount of fast-burning flammable material on top of them and then allowing it to burn for perhaps 20 - 30 seconds[PFAF]. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out the in the following spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[14]. The seed stores for at least 3 years[PFAF]. Cuttings of softish to half-ripe wood, 8cm long with a heel or at a node, early to late summer in a frame. Roots are formed within 3 weeks[13]. High percentage[13]. Cuttings of almost mature wood, 8 - 12cm with a heel or at a node, early to mid autumn in a frame. High percentage[13]. Lift and pot up in the spring, plant out when a good root system has formed[13]. Layering in spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Cistus+creticus>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  3. [3]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  4. [4]The Dry Garden. — Chatto. B. · Dent · 1982 · ISBN 0460045512 ↩︎A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
  5. [5]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  6. [6]Some Native Plants for Erosion Control Efforts in Coruh River Valley, Artvin, Turkey — Askin Gokturk; Zafer Olmez; Fatih Temel · 2006 · ISBN 1028-8880 ↩︎
  7. [7]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  8. [8]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  9. [9]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  10. [10]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  11. [11]Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. — International Bee Research Association. · International Bee Research Association. · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎The title says it all.
  12. [12]Genus Cistus: a model for exploring labdane-type diterpenes’ biosynthesis and a natural source of high value product — Dimitra Papaefthimiou, Antigoni Papanilkolaou et al · 2014 ↩︎
  13. [13]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  14. [14]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  15. [15]Flowers of the Mediterranean. — Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. · Hogarth Press · 1987 · ISBN 0-7012-0784-1 ↩︎A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
  16. [16]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  17. [17]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  18. [18]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  19. [19]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  20. [20]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  21. [21]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  22. [22]Vegetable Gums and Resins. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · ISBN 81-88818-17-8 ↩︎A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
  23. [23]Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. — Polunin. O. · Oxford University Press · 1969 · ISBN 0192176218 ↩︎An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
  24. [24]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.
  25. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎