Cistus monspeliensis
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64401183d38eb083896683 |
| Scientific name | Cistus monspeliensis |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 524 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Cistus monspeliensis has long been valued across parts of the Mediterranean as a simple tea and poultice plant. In the eastern Iberian Peninsula, people have used infusions of the aerial parts for colds and coughs, and fresh leaves macerated in water for mouthwash, the latter recorded among locals in Valencia by Cardenas et al., 2007. Across southern Spain, Cistus infusions were a household remedy for colds and throat complaints (González‑Coloma et al., 2013). In Portugal, the same plant is still found on market stalls, where herbalists sell dried material for tea to improve the season’s symptoms, as reported by Codesido, 2014. These practices concentrate on the leaves and flowering tops; no bark or root uses are documented for this species.
To make a mild everyday tea, place 4–6 g of dried leaves and flowering tops in 250 ml of just‑boiled water and let it stand, covered, for 5–7 minutes; strain and drink one cup up to twice daily. A gentle 1:5 tincture for on‑the‑go use can be prepared with 20 g of dried leaves in 100 ml of 40% alcohol, shaking twice daily for 2 weeks before straining. Safety notes are sensible: use the tincture sparingly (1–2 ml), avoid long high‑dose courses without supervision, and avoid during pregnancy and in people on anticoagulant therapy. For topical macerations, cool the liquid before use to prevent irritation.
The leaves and aerial parts contain well‑studied phenolics that plausibly underpin these uses: flavone and flavonol glycosides (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol and their methyl ethers), labdane diterpenes (particularly carnosol and carnosolic acid), essential‑oil monoterpenes (1,8‑cineole and α‑pinene), and polymeric tannins; these constituents show antibacterial, anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant activity and help explain the cold‑relief, mouthwash and wound‑support traditions (Dutra et al., 2016; Greff et al., 2017; Luna et al., 2018).
Commercial interest has increased as research evaluates Cistus extracts for cold‑symptom relief and oral care, while herbal suppliers now sell dried Cistus leaves—including C. monspeliensis—for teas, a revival of the old market‑stall practice reported by Codesido, 2014.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
The species yields a fragrant resin (labdanum) and an essential oil, both harvested for commercial use; it is also cultivated as an ornamental shrub for landscaping.
Industrial and craft applications:
The essential oil is employed by the fragrance industry in perfume bases, soaps, and detergents; the labdanum resin serves as a fixative in incense and as a natural adhesive in certain craft processes; dried foliage provides a brown natural dye for wool and silk; and its aerial parts contain tannins used in leather‑tanning.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
The essential oil, rich in monoterpenes such as α‑pinene, 1,8‑cineole, and sesquiterpenes, is incorporated into perfume compositions, aftershaves, and cosmetic creams; the resin is added to incense blends and serves as a fixative in fragrance formulations.
Colorants and tanning:
The aerial parts contain condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) and flavonoids that yield a reddish‑brown dye when mordanted on protein fibers; the same tannins provide the astringent properties employed in traditional leather‑tanning processes.
Properties relevant to use:
The labdanum resin is rich in labdane‑type diterpenes (e.g., labdanolic acid) that impart sticky, water‑repellent characteristics suitable for fixatives; the essential oil’s high monoterpene content gives a fresh, resinous aroma desirable in fragrance blends; tannin concentrations typically range from about 10 % to 20 % dry weight, providing strong astringency useful for leather tanning.
Standards and regulation:
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) lists Cistus‑derived labdanum and essential oil as natural fragrance materials with recommended usage limits; EU cosmetic regulation (EC No 1223/2009) permits their use in cosmetics when labeling complies with the INCI requirements for “Cistus monspeliensis extract/oil”.
Sustainability and sourcing:
The species occurs widely in Mediterranean macchie and maquis and is harvested both from wild populations and from cultivated ornamental plantations; sustainable harvest practices such as limiting cutting to mature shrubs and encouraging regrowth are promoted by regional botanical societies to prevent overharvest; the plant’s drought tolerance makes it suitable for low‑input cultivation, reducing environmental impact compared with more water‑intensive aromatic crops.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Stephanocarpus monspeliensis | Spach | Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. , sér. 2, 6: 369 (1836) |
| Cistus affinis | Bertol. ex Guss. | Fl. Sicul. Prodr. 2: 12 (1828) |
| Cistus collinus | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 368 (1796) |
| Cistus feredjensis | Batt. | Bull. Soc. Bot. France 30: 263 (1883) |
| Cistus olbiensis | A.Huet & Hanry | Bull. Soc. Bot. France 7: 346 (1860) |
| Cistus oleifolius | Mill. | Gard. Dict. ed. 8 : n.º 10 (1768) |
| Cistus valentinus | Pourr. ex Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. : 71 (1878) |
| Cistus monspeliensis subsp. canariensis | Rivas Mart., Martín Osorio & Wildpret | Itinera Geobot. 18: 482 (2011) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. feredjensis | (Batt.) Batt. | Fl. Algérie , Dicot.: 90 (1888) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. vulgaris | Willk. | Icon. Descr. Pl. Nov. 2: 30 (1856) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. minor | Willk. | Icon. Descr. Pl. Nov. 2: 30 (1856) |
| Cistus monspeliensis f. flavescens | Briq. | Prodr. Fl. Corse 2(2): 174 (1936) |
| Cistus monspeliensis prol. affinis | (Bertol. ex Guss.) Rouy & Foucaud | Fl. France 2: ? (1895) |
| Cistus monspeliensis f. albiflorus | Briq. | Prodr. Fl. Corse 2(2): 174 (1935) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. densifolius | Sennen | Monde Pl. 32: 38 (1931) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. major | Rouy & Foucaud | Fl. France 2: 263 (1895) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. parviflorus | Sennen | Mem. Primer Congr. Naturalistas Esp. : 280 (1909) |
| Cistus monspeliensis f. typicus | Dans. | Boissiera 4: 66 (1939) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. flavescens | Briq. | Prodr. Fl. Corse 2(2): 175 (1936) |
| Cistus monspeliensis prol. affinis | (Bertol. ex Guss.) Rouy & Foucaud | Fl. France 2: 264 (1895) |
| Cistus monspeliensis var. affinis | (Bertol. ex Guss.) P.Fourn. | Quatre Fl. France : 438 (1936) |
| Cistus monspeliensis subsp. affinis | (Bertol. ex Guss.) Sennen | Monde Pl. 32: 38 (1931) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | montpelier cistus |
| Spanish | jaguarzo |
| Arabic | قريضة متوسطية |
| br | roz-roc'h-montpelher |
| Catalan | estepa negra |
| co | muchju biancu |
| German | montpellier-zistrose |
| Finnish | kaitakistus |
| French | ciste de montpellier |
| Kabyle | tuzzalt |
| Norwegian Bokmål | montpellier-solrose |
| oc | moja negra |
| Portuguese | sargação |
| Chinese | 白岩蔷薇 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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Macaronesia
- Canary Islands
- Madeira
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Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Tunisia
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Macaronesia
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Western Asia
- Cyprus
- Turkey
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Western Asia
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Europe click to expand
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Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Greece
- Italy
- Kriti
- Sicilia
- Yugoslavia
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Southwestern Europe
- Baleares
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
- Spain
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Southeastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- California
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Southwestern U.S.A.
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000607465 |
| UNII | T2OG06826L |
| USDA Plants | CIMO7 |
| Tropicos | 7600023 |
| INPN | 91692 |
| Flora of Italy | 3233 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:168375-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2723524 |
| PaleoBotany | 57044 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 177675 |
| Observations.org | 105135 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 335184 |
| IUCN Red List | 73094084 |
| IPNI | 168375-1 |
| iNaturalist | 76363 |
| GBIF | 2874030 |
| Freebase | /m/05p3txc |
| EPPO | CSTMO |
| EOL | 483190 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 2154 |
| USDA GRIN | 10643 |
| Wikipedia | Cistus_monspeliensis |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Globe-LFMC 2.0, an enhanced and updated dataset for live fuel moisture content research | Yebra M, Scortechini G, Adeline K, Aktepe N, Almoustafa T, Bar-Massada A, Beget ME, Boer M, Bradstock R, Brown T, Castro FX, Chen R, Chuvieco E, Danson M, Değirmenci CÜ, Delgado-Dávila R, Dennison P, Di Bella C, Domenech O, Féret JB, Forsyth G, Gabriel E, Gagkas Z, Gharbi F, Granda E, Griebel A, He B, Jolly M, Kotzur I, Kraaij T, Kristina A, Kütküt P, Limousin JM, Martín MP, Monteiro AT, Morais M, Moreira B, Mouillot F, Msweli S, Nolan RH, Pellizzaro G, Qi Y, Quan X, Resco de Dios V, Roberts D, Tavşanoğlu Ç, Taylor AF, Taylor J, Tüfekcioğlu İ, Ventura A, Younes Cardenas N | Sci Data | 04-Apr-2024 |
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| Vertebrate Pollination of Angiosperms in the Mediterranean Area: A Review | Valdés B | Plants (Basel) | 20-Mar-2024 |
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| Origins of the central Macaronesian psyllid lineages (Hemiptera; Psylloidea) with characterization of a new island radiation on endemic Convolvulus floridus (Convolvulaceae) in the Canary Islands | Bastin S, Reyes-Betancort JA, Siverio de la Rosa F, Percy DM | PLoS One | 26-Jan-2024 |
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| Fungal Planet description sheets: 1550–1613 | Crous PW, Costa MM, Kandemir H, Vermaas M, Vu D, Zhao L, Arumugam E, Flakus A, Jurjević Ž, Kaliyaperumal M, Mahadevakumar S, Murugadoss R, Shivas RG, Tan YP, Wingfield MJ, Abell SE, Marney TS, Danteswari C, Darmostuk V, Denchev CM, Denchev TT, Etayo J, Gené J, Gunaseelan S, Hubka V, Illescas T, Jansen GM, Kezo K, Kumar S, Larsson E, Mufeeda KT, Piątek M, Rodriguez-Flakus P, Sarma PV, Stryjak-Bogacka M, Torres-Garcia D, Vauras J, Acal DA, Akulov A, Alhudaib K, Asif M, Balashov S, Baral HO, Baturo-Cieśniewska A, Begerow D, Beja-Pereira A, Bianchinotti MV, Bilański P, Chandranayaka S, Chellappan N, Cowan DA, Custódio FA, Czachura P, Delgado G, De Silva NI, Dijksterhuis J, Dueñas M, Eisvand P, Fachada V, Fournier J, Fritsche Y, Fuljer F, Ganga KG, Guerra MP, Hansen K, Hywel-Jones N, Ismail AM, Jacobs CR, Jankowiak R, Karich A, Kemler M, Kisło K, Klofac W, Krisai-Greilhuber I, Latha KP, Lebeuf R, Lopes ME, Lumyong S, Maciá-Vicente JG, Maggs-Kölling G, Magistà D, Manimohan P, Martín MP, Mazur E, Mehrabi-Koushki M, Miller AN, Mombert A, Ossowska EA, Patejuk K, Pereira OL, Piskorski S, Plaza M, Podile AR, Polhorský A, Pusz W, Raza M, Ruszkiewicz-Michalska M, Saba M, Sánchez RM, Singh R, Śliwa L, Smith ME, Stefenon VM, Strasiftáková D, Suwannarach N, Szczepańska K, Telleria MT, Tennakoon DS, Thines M, Thorn RG, Urbaniak J, van der Vegte M, Vasan V, Vila-Viçosa C, Voglmayr H, Wrzosek M, Zappelini J, Groenewald JZ | Persoonia | 30-Dec-2023 |
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| Mediterranean Shrub Species as a Source of Biomolecules against Neurodegenerative Diseases | Chaves N, Nogales L, Montero-Fernández I, Blanco-Salas J, Alías JC | Molecules | 16-Dec-2023 |
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| Update of the Xylella spp. host plant database – systematic literature search up to 30 June 2023 | Gibin D, Gutierrez Linares A, Fasanelli E, Pasinato L, Delbianco A | EFSA J | 15-Dec-2023 |
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| Myrmecia, Not Asterochloris, Is the Main Photobiont of Cladonia subturgida (Cladoniaceae, Lecanoromycetes) | Pino-Bodas R, Blázquez M, de los Ríos A, Pérez-Ortega S | J Fungi (Basel) | 02-Dec-2023 |
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| Effects of Chloride and Sulfate Salts on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Ballota hirsuta Benth. and Myrtus communis L. | Dadach M, Ahmed MZ, Bhatt A, Radicetti E, Mancinelli R | Plants (Basel) | 20-Nov-2023 |
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| Wild Avian Gut Microbiome at a Small Spatial Scale: A Study from a Mediterranean Island Population of Alectoris rufa | Guerrini M, Tanini D, Vannini C, Barbanera F | Animals (Basel) | 27-Oct-2023 |
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| Zoonotic Microparasites in Invasive Black Rats (Rattus rattus) from Small Islands in Central Italy | Zanet S, Occhibove F, Capizzi D, Fratini S, Giannini F, Hoida AD, Sposimo P, Valentini F, Ferroglio E | Animals (Basel) | 20-Oct-2023 |
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| The most polyphagous insect herbivore? Host plant associations of the Meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (L.) | Thompson V, Harkin C, Stewart AJ | PLoS One | 04-Oct-2023 |
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| Mediterranean Plants with Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a Meta-Analysis for Green Veterinary Pharmacology Applications | Oppedisano F, De Fazio R, Gugliandolo E, Crupi R, Palma E, Abbas Raza SH, Tilocca B, Merola C, Piras C, Britti D | Microorganisms | 09-Sep-2023 |
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| Mediterranean Plants as Potential Source of Biopesticides: An Overview of Current Research and Future Trends | Fragkouli R, Antonopoulou M, Asimakis E, Spyrou A, Kosma C, Zotos A, Tsiamis G, Patakas A, Triantafyllidis V | Metabolites | 22-Aug-2023 |
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| The Therapeutic Potential of Natural Dietary Flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 Infection | Wang Z, Yang L | Nutrients | 03-Aug-2023 |
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| Bioclimatic and Landscape Factors drive the Potential Distribution of Philaenus spumarius, Neophilaenus campestris and N. lineatus (Hemiptera, Aphrophoridae) in Southeastern Iberian Peninsula | Gallego D, Sabah SC, Lencina JL, Carrillo AF | Insects | 30-Jun-2023 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
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| In public collections | 0 |