Cistus parviflorus Lam.
Eng.: Small-flowered rockrose.
Evergreen shrub, hermaphrodite, up to 1 m in height, erect or somewhat scattered, very ramose. Stems with brownish-yellowish bark, rough, greyish-tomentose when young. Leaves ovate-oblong to elliptical, 1.5-4 x 0.7-2 cm, acute or obtuse, densely tomentose on the adaxial surface and greyish-tomentose on the abaxial surface; with 3 longitudinal, parallel and prominent nerves on the adaxial surface. Petiole 0.5-0.7 mm. The flowers have a short peduncle, up to 1 cm long, and lanceolate to linear deciduous bracts; they are grouped in terminal cymes of 3 to 6 flowers. External sepals ovate, 8-10 x 4-5 mm, villous on both sides; the inner ones much wider (6-7 mm), with cuspid apex, hairy only on the adaxial surface. Petals pink, wedge-shaped, 1-1.5 x 0.8-2 cm, with truncated or slightly emarginated apex. Stamens numerous, with long filaments of 4 mm. Ovary globose, 2 mm in diameter; stigma capitate, rough. Fruit in a broadly ovoid 8 x 5 mm capsule, with a short hairy surface, yellowish brown and surrounded by somewhat accrescent sepals until maturity. Seeds irregularly angular, 1.2 x 1 mm.
Flowering:
March to May.
Fruiting:
Throughout the summer.
Habitat:
Thickets on very diverse soils, in areas with a semi-arid to sub-humid bioclimate, mainly on the thermomediterranean belt. It is a thermophile plant, so it always appears at low altitudes, generally below 400 m, in coastal or sub-coastal regions.
Distribution:
Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, the island of Lampedusa and the less desert areas in northern Libya.
Conservation status:
Relatively common species throughout its range but very localized in North Africa. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.