Herb: Rock Rose


Latin name: Cistus albidus


Family: Cistaceae (Rock-rose Family)



Edible parts of Rock Rose:

The leaves are used as a tea substitute. The dried leaves are sometimes used as an adulterant for marjoram (Origanum majorana).

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Garigue, rocky places on limestone soils and open pine forest.

Propagation of Rock Rose:

Seed - gather when ripe and store dry. Surface sow in late winter in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 20°C. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out the in the following spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed stores for at least 3 years. Cuttings of softish to half-ripe wood, 8cm long with a heel or at a node, June/August in a frame. Roots are formed within 3 weeks. High percentage. Cuttings of almost mature wood, 8 - 12cm with a heel or at a node, September/October in a frame. High percentage. Lift and pot up in the spring, plant out when a good root system has formed. Layering in spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Garigue, rocky places on limestone soils and open pine forest.

Medicinal use of Rock Rose:

None known

Known hazards of Cistus albidus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.