Plate 9514 - × cistus

Curtis's Botanical Magazine - Plate 9514 X cistus Family: Cistaceae • Native Region: Cyprus • Publication Date: January 1st, 1934 Distribution: Cyprus Botanical Description The very beautiful plant figured here was described by M. Lojacono Pojero as a species, but is now generally regarded as a natural interspecific hybrid between C. monspeliensis and C. parviflorus. The evidence for according it this status is partly morphological and partly distributional. C. monspeliensis is a well-known species with a wide distribution, being found in the Atlantic Islands (Canaries, Madeira) and throughout the Mediterranean Basin eastwards to Cyprus. It has white petals and the outer sepals enclose the inner. Grosser (l.c.17) places it in the section Stephanocarpus, (Spach) Willk., of which it is the only known representative. C. parviflorus Lam. ranges from Tunis and Sicily eastwards to western and southern Asia Minor. It has rose-pink petals and is placed by Grosser (l.c.17) in the section Ledonella Spach. Both species occur in Lampedusa and in Attica, the two areas from which the putative hybrid is known. In its more obvious vegetative characters, such as the shape of the leaves, x C. Skanbergii resembles C. monspel- iensis. The vegetative parts are, however, only slightly viscous. The rose-pink flowers are similar to those of C. parviflorus, though they sometimes bleach in bright sun during the day. The anthers contain relatively little pollen in the material examined, and it is not known whether this is viable or not. Pollen grains from dried flowers, from material cultivated at Kew, are apparently of two sizes. About This Print Original black and white uncolored botanical print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine (established 1787). This 9000s series print is from unissued publisher stock, never hand-colored, representing the authentic plate as it appeared in the magazine. Edited by Sir Arthur William Hill for The Royal Horticultural Society, London.