Genus: Cistus

Common Names: rockroses

A genus of around 34 species (if one includes the disputed merging with the genus Halimium) of evergreen shrubs with characteristic blooms of saucer-shaped flowers which resemble the single flower of old-fashioned or antique roses (that combined with their ability to thrive in lean, rocky soils led to the common name of rockrose). The genus is divided into clades of white-flowered species, pink-flowered species, and yellow-flowered species and also includes a fair amount of naturally ocurring hybrid species. Cistus have been popular ornamentals in cultivation since at least the 1800s.

Their unique aroma, amplified on warm summer days, is exuded by a resin in their leaves called labdanum which has been used extensively in the perfume industry as well as for incense. One traditional method of harvesting the labdanum was to let goats roam through the scrub and then comb it out from their beards. Cistus creticus (formerly C. incanus) has also been used in traditional medicine.

Distribution: the Mediterranean basin ranging in elevation from  stony scrub land (known as the maquis) up to the higher elevation dry woodlands and open pine-forests. Several species are endemic to the Canary Islands.

Cistus 'Bicolor Pink'

Description: evergreen shrub; a selection that originated at Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, CA. Thought to be a hybrid of C. parviflorus. Low and spreading and considered to be one of the hardier of the pink-flowered cistus. Very rare in cultivation. Parentage: unknown

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus 'Christopher Gable'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised by Robert G. Page and named for the ballet dancer and actor Christopher Gable. A vigorous grower with an upright, arching growth habit. It is especially floriferous and long-blooming and has the smallest (1.5 in.) blotched white flowers of any of the cistus. Parentage: C. 'Ruby Cluster' × C. monspeliensis.

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus 'Gordon Cooper'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised by Robert G. Page and named for a fellow plantsman. Very vigorous and low-growing, our favorite for use as a groundcover. Blooms 2 in. blotched white flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: Cistus 'Ruby Cluster' × Cistus salviifolius.

Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus 'Jessamy Beauty'

Description: evergreen shrub; an especially hardy and vigorous spreading cultivar raised by the late Eric Sammons and named by Robert G. Page. Blooms 2.5 in. blotched white flowers. Parentage: Cistus 'Little Gem' × Cistus laurifolius. 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus 'Little Gem'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised as a seedling of C. 'Decumbens' that was repeatedly back-crossed with C. inflatus by Eric Sammons in the 1980s. Lax, rounded growth and white flowers with maroon blotches in spring and summer. Somewhat rare in cultivation but the parent of several popular hybrids. Parentage: C. 'Decumbens' × ? × C. inflatus.

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus 'Ruby Cluster'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised by Robert Page as a product of a breeding effort started by Eric Sammons to produce a blotched equivalent of C. inflatus. Compact, rounded growth and white flowers with maroon blotches in spring and summer. Similar to C. 'Little Gem.' Parentage: C. 'Decumbens' × ? × C. inflatus.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus (Halimium) 'Sarah'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised by the late Eric Sammons and one of the hardiest, most floriferous of the yellow-flowered rockroses. Gray-green foliage and a rounded growth habit with 1.5 in. blotched yellow flowers from spring into summer. Similar to C. 'Susan' but with smaller, darker maroon blotches on the petals. Parentage: C. lasianthus 'Formosum' × C. ocymoides. 

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus 'Snow Fire'

Description: evergreen shrub; raised by by the late Eric Sammons as a blotched equivalent of C. 'Snow White.' The most vigorous and monstrous cistus that we've grown to an eventual 7 ft. tall and even wider. Dense, rounded growth and very floriferous and long-blooming. One of the showiest cistus if you have the space for it (though it does tolerate a fair bit more pruning than most cistus). 2.5 in. blotched white flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. × dansereaui 'Decumbens, C. inflatus, and C. populifolius subsp. major. 

Height: to 7 ft. Spread: to 8 ft.

Cistus 'Sunset'

Description: evergreen shrub; a popular cultivar that is often found in landscaping projects. Low and spreading into a compact, rounded bush. One of the longest-blooming cistus in our area; 2 in. magenta-pink flowers. Parentage: Cistus albidus × Cistus crispus. 

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus 'Victor Reiter'

Description: evergreen shrub; a selection from California named for a San Francisco plantsman. Large gray-green foliage with reddish-brown stems and rounded growth. Bright pink flowers that fade to white in the center in spring and early summer. Parentage: C. laurifolius × C. creticus (though listed as C. incanus).

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus × aguilari

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally occuring hybrid found in Spain and Morocco. Vigorous, upright growth and won't spread quite as much as most cistus. Large pure white flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. ladanifer subsp. mauritianus × C. populifolius subsp. major.

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus × argenteus 'Blushing Peggy Sammons'

Description: evergreen shrub; found as a darker purple-pink color sport of 'Peggy Sammons' by Alex Pankhurst of Essex in the 1990s. Vigorous, upright growth habit with 2 in. purple-pink flowers and gray-green foliage. A good choice for gardeners looking for a cistus that won't spread quite as much. Parentage: Cistus laurifolius × Cistus × canescens (triple hybrid). 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 30 in.

Cistus × argenteus 'Paper Moon'

Description: evergreen shrub; a white-flower sport of C. 'Peggy Sammons' found at Jackdaws Field Nursery in England. Vigorous, upright growth habit with 2 in. white flowers and gray-green foliage. A good choice for gardener's looking for a cistus that won't spread quite as much. Parentage: Cistus laurifolius × Cistus × canescens (triple hybrid). 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 30 in.

Cistus × argenteus 'Silver Pink'

Description: evergreen shrub; found as a chance seedling at Hillier's Nursery in 1910. Rounded growth and 2 in. pink flowers that fade toward white in the center. Parentage: Cistus laurifolius × Cistus × canescens (triple hybrid).  

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × bornetianus 'Jester'

Description: evergreen shrub; the last hybrid produced by the late J.E. Sammons in 1991 and found as seedling in his garden by Robert Page. Very vigorous with compact, rounded growth. Light pink flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. albidus × C. laurifolius

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus × cheiranthoides SYN: Halimium × pauanum

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally ocurring hybrid found only in Morocco. Upright, rounded growth with dense, gray-green foliage. Very floriferous and one of the longest-blooming yellow-flowered cistus known to cultivation. Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation. Parentage: C. halimifolius × C. lasianthus.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus × dansereaui 'Decumbens'

Description: evergreen shrub; the only low-growing variant of the C. × dansereaui hybrids and a parent of several other popular hybrids. Aromatic foliage and large white flowers with maroon blotches in spring and summer. Parentage: C. ladanifer × C. inflatus.

Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus × dansereaui 'Jenkyn Place'

Description: evergreen shrub; an upright cultivar, named for a private garden in Hampshire, England, with compact growth and 3 in. blotched white flowers in spring and summer. Long-blooming and very floriferous. Parentage: Cistus ladanifer × Cistus inflatus. 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × fernandesiae 'Anne Palmer'

Description: evergreen shrub; an uncommon hybrid raised by the late Collingwood Ingram. Upright and then sprawling with wavy leaf margins and frilly pale pink flowers with a slightly darker pink centers in late spring. and into summer. Parentage: C. ladanifer var. sulcatus × C. crispus.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus × florentinus

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally occuring hybrid found throughout the Western Mediterranean. Popular for its small (1.5 in.) abundant white flowers in spring and summer. Dark green foliage and compact, rounded growth. Parentage: Cistus monspeliensis × Cistus salviifolius. 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × laxus 'Snow White'

Description: evergreen shrub; an especially vigorous and hardy cistus raised by Eric Sammons and selected as one of the best C. × laxus hybrids for vigor, hardiness, rounded habit, and flowering. Apple-green foliage and 2.5 in. pure white flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: Cistus populifolius × Cistus inflatus. 

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × lenis 'Grayswood Pink'

Description: evergreen shrub; a chance seedling discovered by Jimmy Grant of Grayswood, England in the early 1960s. One of the hardiest of the pink-flowered cistus. Sage green leaves with vigorous, spreading growth and soft pink flowers that fade to white at the center. Parentage: C. parviflorus × C. sintenisii

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × lepidocalyx 'White Satin'

Description: evergreen shrub; a chance seedling (1992) from the garden of Robert G. Page. Very narrow, glossy dark green foliage and 2.5 in. white flowers. Upright growth and then spreading. Resembles C. libanotis but is both larger and hardier. Parentage: Cistus libanotis × Cistus ladanifer. 

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus × pagei

Description: evergreen shrub; a hybrid species known only to cultivation and not formally described until 2002. Originally discovered by Robert G. Page in 1996 in cultivation. One of the hardiest pink-flowering cistus with a rounded growth habit. Dark green ovate leaves and 1.5 in. pale pink (almost white) flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. parviflorus × C. laurifolius

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × pauranthus

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally occuring hybrid found only in Cyprus and the East Aegean Islands. Compact, rounded growth and pale pink flowers in spring and summer. This form of C. × pauranthus is very rare in cultivation and was originally collected by Robert G. Page in Akamas, Cyprus.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus × pauranthus 'Natacha'

Description: evergreen shrub; a compact selection that forms a perfectly round dome of relatively small foliage. Soft pinkish white flowers in spring and summer. Has a reputation for not being as hardy as other cistus but will perform well with perfectly drained soil; it also supports root competition well and benefits from being planted near old trees that draw up excess moisture. Parentage: C. parviflorus × C. salviifolius.

Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus × purpureus

Description: evergreen shrub; a hybrid known only to cultivation but favored for its uncommon combination of pink flowers with crimson blotches. Narrow, dark green foliage and dense, rounded growth with large flowers in late spring and summer. Parentage: C. ladanifer × C. creticus.

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus × purpureus 'Alan Fradd'

Description: evergreen shrub; a white-flowered sport of Cistus × purpureus (which has pink flowers with crimson blotches). Aromatic, narrow foliage and upright growth with with 3.5 in. white flowers and crimson blotched petals. Parentage: C. ladanifer × C. creticus. 

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus × ralletii

Description: evergreen shrub; an exciting hybrid of a Canary Island species that has been relatively hardy in temperate climates. Stiff, vigorous growth and large, bright pink flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. symphytifolius × C. creticus.

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus × sahucii SYN: ×Halimiocistus sahucii

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally occuring hybrid found in France (C. salviifolius × C. umbellatus). Vigorous and low-growing with very prolific blooms of small (1.5 in.) pure white flowers beginning in late spring. Perfect for rock gardens or the front of a border. Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation.

Height: to 1 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus × skanbergii

Description: evergreen shrub; a naturally occuring hybrid found only in Sicily and Cyprus. Narrow, green foliage that appears gray-green in summer and upright, rounded growth with small, pale pink flowers in spring and summer. Parentage: C. parviflorus × C. monspeliensis.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus (Halimium) atriplicifolius 

Description: evergreen shrub; a species found only in Spain and Morocco. Unique silver-gray foliage with reddish stems and a penchant for a few odd blooms in late autumn well after the main flush of blooms in late spring. One of the most stunning rockroses for its foliage alone let alone its cheery yellow flowers. Considered by some to be marginally hardy but ours has survived consecutive cold and wet winters with minimal foliar damage at worst. Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus creticus

Description: evergreen shrub; a variable and widespread species with several disputed subspecies and botanical synonyms. Generally, low and spreading into a rounded bush with pink flowers (though white-flowered forms are known) in spring and summer. 

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus creticus subsp. creticus 'Lasithi'

Description: evergreen shrub; collected from the Lasithi Plateau of Crete by Robert G. Page and selected for its "compact form with strong purple-pink flowers." Possibly hardier than other common forms of C. creticus. Narrow, dark green foliage and long-blooming.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus creticus subsp. creticus 'Tania Compton'

Description: evergreen shrub; a white-flowered form of C. creticus collected near Meskla, Crete by Dr. James Compton in 1991. Narrow, dark green foliage with wavy margins and flowers in spring and summer. Requires better drainage than most cistus to perform well in our climate.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus crispus

Description: evergreen shrub; a widespread species that is generally very low and spreading. Pink flowers that are darker near their centers and distinctly aromatic, wavy-edged leaves. Requires near perfect drainage in our climate to perform well. A plant for the collector.

Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus ladanifer

Description: evergreen shrub; the primary source of commercial ladanum used in the perfume and cosmetics industries. A variable species distributed across the Mediterranean and the only white-flowered cistus species that has forms with maroon blotches on the petals. Narrow, aromatic foliage and large flowers in spring and summer. 

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus ladanifer 'Paladin'

Description: evergreen shrub; an intermediate cross of C. ladanifer subsp. sulcatus and the type species raised by Collingwood Ingram in the 20th century. Very dense, dark green foliage and white flowers with maroon blotches in spring and summer.

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus ladanifer subsp. mauritianus 'Bennett's White'

Description: evergreen shrub; a selection of C. ladanifer with very large (4 in.), frilly white flowers in spring and summer and attractive cinnamon-red stems. C. ladanifer subsp. mauritianus is only found in Algeria, Morocco, and the Málaga provice of Spain suggesting that it is exceptionally well-adapted to drought.

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus (Halimium) lasianthus 'Sandling'

Description: evergreen shrub; a vigorous selection of this West Mediterranean species with notably lighter crimson blotches on the petals than its counterparts. Upright and rounded growth with bright, crimson-blotched yellow flowers in spring, Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus (Halimium) lasianthus subsp. alyssoides 'Farrall' 

Description: evergreen shrub; upright rounded growth with narrow, green foliage and rich, egg-yolk yellow flowers in late spring. Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation.

Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus laurifolius

Description: evergreen shrub; a widespread species and the considered to be the hardiest cistus species with some populations found as high as 2000 m. elevation in Europe. Dark green foliage and attractive cinnamon-red bark that peels in old age. Pure white flowers in spring and summer

Height: to 5 ft. Spread: to 5 ft.

Cistus libanotis 'Major'

Description: evergreen shrub; a selection of C. libanotis noted for being larger in all parts than the species. Narrow, dark green foliage and reddish buds that open to large white flowers in spring and summer.

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus monspeliensis

Description: evergreen shrub; a variable, widespread species . Upright and then sprawling growth and dense, green foliage. Small white flowers in spring and summer.

Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 6 ft.

Cistus monspeliensis 'Vicar's Mead'

Description: evergreen shrub; a unique selection of C. monspeliensis with pale yellow flowers collected from Majorca by Harold Read. Narrow, green leaves and a dense, rounded growth habit with small, pale yellow flowers in spring and summer.

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus (Halimium) ocymoides

Description: evergreen shrub; a species native to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Gray-green foliage forms a low, rounded shrub. Profuse blooms of yellow flowers with dark maroon blotches at the base of each petal in late spring. Considerably longer-lived in very lean soils with little to no supplemental irrigation.

Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.

Cistus salviifolius

Description: evergreen shrub; a widespread and variable species, though most forms in cultivation are quite prostrate. Small, textured leaves and a low, spreading habit with small white flowers in spring and summer. One of the best cistus for use as a groundcover.

Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.

Cistus salviifolius 'Bonifacio'

Description: evergreen shrub; collected at Cape Pertusato, near Bonifacio, Corsica and selected for its very low stature and spreading habit. Small, round leaves and white flowers in spring and summer.

Height: to 8 in. Spread: to 3 ft.