About Cistus monspeliensis L.
Cistus monspeliensis L. is an evergreen shrub with narrow leaves that have a hairy, glandular, sticky surface. Its leaves range from linear to lance-shaped, are green, have a wrinkled, rugose upper surface, and grow up to 5 centimeters long. When cultivated, this species reaches roughly 1 meter in height and 1.5 meters in width. Its inflorescence is typically a panicle holding 2 to 8 flowers; each individual flower has five sepals and five white petals. This plant is distributed primarily across the western Mediterranean Basin, including Portugal (with Madeira), Spain (with the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands), Morocco, southern France (with Corsica), Italy (with Sardinia and Sicily), Malta, Algeria, and Tunisia. It can also be found in Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, and Cyprus. It has been recorded as an introduced species in other locations outside this range, and is classified as an invasive species in California.
