C. graecum
         H. cyclophyllus
         Delphinium sp.
         M. sylvestris
         Althaea sp.
         C. incanus
         C. salviifolius
         E. hispanica
         Viola sp.
         E. elaterium

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/29 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/29 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos White Rock Rose (Cistus salviifolius) :: 2008/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos

White Rockrose

Cistus salviifolius

Shrub of up to almost 1 m (3 1/3 ft) in height, which extends over large parts of the lowland and mountainous zones, especially where there are siliceous soils. Together with other species, it forms thick, lush scrub communities, often in areas where oak forests have been destroyed by fire or other causes.

Leaves are oval to elliptical, with a rounded or wedge-shaped base, 10 - 40 mm (1/16 - 1/8 in) long, and are divided into many cells, by a large number of veins.

Flowers are white, 30 - 50 mm (1 1/5 - 2 in), solitary or in groups of up to four. They have 5 white petals and many yellow stamens, which stand out markedly in the center of the flower.

It is the commonest species in the region, together with Cistus incanus, often forming large colonies.

As far as edibility is concerned, dried leaves are used as an  adulterant for marjoram (Origanum majorana). There are no known medicinal uses.

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Fact Sheet

Type of plant
Evergreen shrub

Flowering Season
February - May

Known Hazards
Not known

Known Uses
Very limited use. "Plants for a Future" rate it 1 out of 5 for edibility and 0 out of 5 for medicinal uses (min. 0, max. 5).

Habitat
 Maquis,  garrigue, bushy and rocky places, dry hillslopes, waste places and open woodland, especially of pine

Distribution
Throughout the Mediterranean region; 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: salviifolius

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Acknowledgments


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

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