Flora-Fauna

Cistus creticus L.

(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXXXVII nº 2; 1983)
= Cistus villosus L.

• Life-form & habit: Shrub 30–100 cm tall, strongly branched from the base and markedly woody; young stems densely pubescent.

• Leaves: Petiolate, suborbicular, ovate-oblong to oblong; upper surface with short, sparse hairs; reticulately veined and puckered; 1–6 cm long × 0.5–2 cm wide.

• Inflorescence & flowers: 1–6 flowers in loose, leafy terminal cymes.

• Sepals: Five, equal, rounded at the base, densely hirsute, acute at the apex.

• Petals: Rose-purple, 3–5 cm in diameter.

• Style: As long as the stamens.

• Fruit: Capsule densely pubescent.

• Phenology: Flowers from February to April.

• Habitat & elevation: Wooded and shrubby habitats, especially on sandstone and marl soils.

• Lebanese distribution:
  Ct.: Beirut, Dékouané, Qalmoun, Tripoli
  Mi.: Maghdouché, Deir Moukhallès, ‘Aley, Diq el-Mahdi, Bzoummar, Bikfaya, Harissa, Terbol, Douma
  Mm.: Qannoubine, Bcharré, forest of Ehden
  S. Ct.: Marqab
  Mi.: Bhamra
  NLatt.: Kessab

• Native range: Albania, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Sardegna, Sicilia, Türkey, Türkey-in-Europe. (KEW) 

• Introduced into: California, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Tasmania. (KEW)