This month we take a digital walk in our Mediterranean garden and we meet Cistus or Rockrose!
Cistus belongs to the family of Cistaceae and is a perennial shrub with α pleasant, resin scented foliage and pink or white silky flowers with five petals, that look like wrinkly paper. Cistus’ period of abundant efflorescence is during the end of spring and it is featured as a drought tolerant plant.
Its foliage and sprouts are rich in Polyphenols, resins otherwise called labdanum, used in perfumery and pharmaceutics. Our ancient ancestors used its oil both as an incense and a medical ointment for skin conditions and malignancies.
At the Stavros Niarchos Park we encounter 2 of its about 20 species, Cistus x aguilarii 'Maculatus' (photo) and Cistus creticus 'Bali'.
Cistus is mainly a bee-friendly plant. Its flowers are full of good quality pollen and rich nectar while its leaves’ resins are collected by bees to produce propolis. Honeybees, in their turn, contribute to the SNFCC flora health and to the overall thermoregulation of the local microclimate.
This flower has a special role in nature since it germinates after fire and new plants can cover a wide range of burned land, that’s why it is considered as a fireweed.
From German botanist Helmut Baumann and his book “Greek Wildflowers and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece” (1984) and references to Pedanius Dioscorides’ scripts (1st century AD) we learn that during Medieval period labdanum yield was made by shepherds, who combed their animals’ bristles where resin stuck. For this procedure they used a specific type of rake made of leather straps and was collected only during warm midday hours that resin is in a fluid phase.
Extra Fact: Usually, in Cistus’ roots we find Cytinus (Cytinus Hypocistis), a plant with bright red waxy leaves and white or yellow flowers. Cytinus is lacking chlorophyll so it lives as a parasite on Cistus roots so that to receive the nutrient ingredients that needs for its survival. Its name is given by Dioscorides.
