Herb: Rock Rose


Latin name: Cistus salviifolius


Family: Cistaceae (Rock-rose Family)



Edible parts of Rock Rose:

The dried leaves are used as an adulterant for marjoram (Origanum majorana).

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Dry woods, thickets and banks, often on acid soils and on limestone, from sea level to 1200 metres in the Alpes Maritimes.

Other uses of Rock Rose:

A good ground cover plant for the milder areas of Britain. The form "Prostratus" has been recommended.

Propagation of the herb:

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 Rock Rose:

Dry woods, thickets and banks, often on acid soils and on limestone, from sea level to 1200 metres in the Alpes Maritimes.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Cistus salviifolius:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.