Pink Rock Rose, Cistus incanus

Compact shrub, approximately 1 m (3 1/3 ft) tall and equally wide, with gray-green foliage and 5 – 6.5 cm (2 – 2 1/2 in) pink "roses" that appear in late winter – early spring. Both the leaves and flowers have a wrinkled appearance.

According to "Plants for a Future", ssp. Cistus incanus creticus and, I suspect, all Rock Roses, have several uses. In particular, leaves can be used as a tea substitute, whilst the oleo-resin obtained from the leaves and stems is used as a commercial food flavoring in baked goods, ice cream, chewing gum etc.

In addition, the plant is an aromatic, expectorant, stimulant herb that controls bleeding and has antibiotic effects. It is used internally in the treatment of catarrh and diarrhoea and as an emmenagogue. The leaves are harvested in late spring and early summer and can be dried for later use, or the resin extracted from them.

Finally, the glandular hairs on the leaves yield the oleo-resin "ladanum", which, some sources, associate with the "myrrh" of biblical references, It is used medicinally and in soaps, perfumery, fumigation etc. This resin is an acceptable substitute for ambergris (which is obtained from the sperm whale) and so is important in perfume manufacture. The resin is collected by dragging a type of rake through the plant, the resin adhering to the teeth of the rake, or by boiling the twigs and skimming off the resin. Most resin is produced at the hottest time of the year.

Type of plant
Evergreen shrub

Flowering Season
February - May

Known Hazards
N/A

Known Uses
As detailed above, the plant has edible and medicinal qualities and is used extensively in the cosmetic industry. "Plants for a Future" rate it 2 out of 5 for usefulness (min. 0, max. 5).

Habitat

Maquis,

garrigue, bushy and rocky places, dry hillslopes, woodland margins

Distribution
Throughout the Mediterranean region and California, USA; probably naturalized elsewhere

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae (Plants); Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants); Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants); Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants); Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons); Subclass: Dilleniidae; Order: Violales; Family: Cistaceae (Rock Rose family); Genus: Cistus; Species: incanus

Acknowledgments

Information on the plant's edible and medicinal uses was obtained from "Plants for a Future".