Cistus salvifolius

Name: Cistus salvifolius - Ciste à feuilles de sauge
SKU: pda475-1
Availability: InStock

Mediterranean bush with sage-like leaves and ivory white flowers

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Tags: aromatique, bouquets, couleur, evergreen, feuillage persistant, graphique, Jardin Méditerranéen, longue floraison, Mediterranean, pepiniere lhoumois, secheresse, soleil, vivace, vivace en pot, xeriscaping SKU: pda475-1 Category: Bees and Butterflies, Distillations, Evergreen, Fragrant, Frost Hardy, Ground Cover, Rewild

Cistus salvifolius is a small shrub with highly branched foliage, a dense spreading habit, and small, rough, dark gray-green evergreen leaves.

It features a spectacular flowering period lasting over two months throughout the summer.

Very drought-tolerant, this rockrose is hardy down to about -10 to -12 °C, provided it is planted in well-drained soil and full sun.

The leaves are light green, wrinkled, rough, and velvety to the touch. They are very reminiscent of sage leaves so can be planted alongside the yellow striped sage or a purple sage to bring height and texture to a sage corner.

The flowers are large and ivory white, highlighted by bright gold stamens.

The root system is both deep and branched. It is so powerful that it can penetrate fractured rocks to extract even the slightest trace of moisture deep underground – making it one of the most drought tolerant plants of the Mediterranean region.

Cistus is a genus of evergreen shrubs native to the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. They’re valued for their resilience to drought, sun-loving nature, and beautiful, papery flowers that bloom in spring and early summer.

Highly fragrant, the blooms attract butterflies.

Though each flower lasts only a day, their abundance and continuous renewal create a spectacular floral display for several weeks.

👨‍🌾GARDENING TIPS👨‍🌾:

- ✂️ Cistus can be lightly pruned after flowering and pinched back to promote a bushy growth, but avoid cutting into old wood.
- 🪰 Their thick leaves + resin do not attract pests, though their delicate flowers can be damaged by heavy rain
- 🏠 Avoid transplanting them once they are settled, as their roots do not like to be disturbed.
- Looks great with:
  - Eryngium, Stachys byzantina, Creeping Thyme, Delosperma, Santolina, Sedum, Lavender, Rosemary, Sages, Tanacetum, Helichrysum

Learn more about Gardening with the Cistus family:

- ENG: Gardening with Cists
- FR: Jardiner avec les Cists (Rustica)

The Tales & The Botany: Cistus salvifolius

The white flowering cists are all related!

Cistus inflatus

Cistus ladanifer

Cistus laurifolius

Cistus monspeliensis

Cistus parviflorus

Cistus populifolius

Cistus salviifolius

Cistus sintenisii

The genus Cistus was named by French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, derived from the Greek Kistos, which was later Latinized as Cisthos by Pliny the Elder. The genus includes around twenty Mediterranean shrub species in the Cistaceae family, closely related to Halimium and Helianthemum.

These plants have opposite, evergreen to semi-evergreen leaves that are oval to lanceolate, sometimes elongated. Some species, like Cistus ladanifer, contain aromatic resin used to produce medicinal labdanum.

Labdanum is a sticky brown resin extracted from the Cistus plants that is still used to produce perfume and vermouth. You’ll see when you touch the plant, it’s quite sticky.

🔥 Their fruits are fire-resistant capsules, allowing them to reseed naturally after a wildfire.

🥷 They also suppress weed growth through allelopathy (releasing substances that inhibit weed germination) something that our friends in the Thyme family are infamous for.

🌸 Floral Morphology : Cistus salvifolius

Members of the Cistaceae, including the genus Cistus, typically produce solitary or cymose inflorescences with showy, crêpe-like petals.

Flowers are actinomorphic (characterized by radial symmetry), pentamerous, and range from 2 to 8 cm in diameter depending on species. Petals are usually white, pink, or purple with conspicuous yellow stamens. Sepals (3–5) are persistent and may be hairy or glabrous.

Leaves are opposite, simple, entire, and often covered with glandular trichomes secreting aromatic resins such as labdanum. This resin imparts drought resistance and fragrance.

🌱 Reproductive Biology

Flowers are hermaphroditic, often protandrous (anthers mature before stigmas), which encourages cross-pollination. Despite this, many species retain a level of self-compatibility, ensuring reproduction under low-pollinator conditions.

Pollination is predominantly entomophilous, with bees, beetles, and flies visiting for pollen rather than nectar.

Seeds are borne in dehiscent capsules containing numerous small seeds adapted for germination after disturbance (particularly fire).

🌍 Ecology & Adaptations

Cistaceae are emblematic of Mediterranean-type ecosystems on poor, rocky soils. Key adaptations include:

- High Drought tolerance via resinous, sclerophyllous (a sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat) leaves.
- Fire-related regeneration, with seeds requiring heat shock or smoke compounds to germinate.
- Symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi (notably Tuber spp.), which enhance nutrient uptake in low-fertility soils.

Other Names:

Sage-leaved rockrose

Origin:

Mediterranean

Similaire

Weight	0,5 kg
Flower Color	⚪ White
Flowering	June, July, August
Exposure	Full Sun
Frost Tolerance	-10°C to -15°C
Soil	Dry, Poor, Sandy, Well-Draining
Size	0.08m H x 1m W
Planting Season	March to May, September to November
Container Size	9×9 cm, 2L