Name/Όνομα: Κίστος ο λαδανοφόρος
Scientific name/Επιστημονικό όνομα: Cistus ladanifer* L.
Common name/Κοινό όνομα: Gum cistus, Gum rockrose, Ladanum-resin tree, Esteva, Ispanya ladeni, Ξισταρκά
Family/Οικογένεια: CISTACEAE
Description
Cistus ladanifer is an evergreen shrub with woody base, growing up to 2m high. Stems many, erect or spreading, branched and sticky; young stems are green and glabrous, older branches are brownish-red and sticky. Leaves are aromatic, opposite, simple, entire, narrow lanceolate, sessile, sticky, glossy, glabrous and dark green above, greyish, with soft hairs below. Flowers are large, showy, actinomorphic, hermaphrodite and solitary at the ends of axillary branches; corolla bowl-shaped, petals 5, triangular with narrow base, white, with a conspicuous ovate, dark red blotch at each base; sepals 5, rounded, green and hairy; stamens numerous, arranged radically to pistil, filaments and anthers golden yellow; ovary superior, globose, golden yellow, densely hairy; styles simple, stigma capitate; the fruit is globose capsule; flowering time May-June. Native to SW Europe and NW Africa. Rare plant in Cyprus, on open pinewoods, from 250m-800m alt. ladanifer* = Greek word “bearing of labdanum”
