Cistus ladanifer

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Cistus ladanifer
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:7
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Evergreen Self Pollinated
Height:5'
Width:3'
Speed:Fast
Blooms:Early Summer
Native to:
Shelter
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Cistus ladanifer (common name: labdanum)

Propagation: Seed - gather when ripe and store dry[1]. Surface sow in late winter in a greenhouse[2]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 20°c[2]. 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[2]. The seed stores for at least 3 years[K].

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[1]. High percentage[1].

Cuttings of almost mature wood, 8 - 12cm with a heel or at a node, September/October in a frame. High percentage[1]. Lift and pot up in the spring, plant out when a good root system has formed[1].

Layering in spring.

Cultivation: Requires a sunny position in a well-drained light sandy soil[3][4], growing well in poor soils[5]. Withstands drought once it is established[3][6]. Plants are fairly wind resistant[7][K], tolerating maritime exposure[8]. Resents root disturbance[3].

Plants are hardy to about -10c[9], but they require protection in severe winters[3]. Plants are somewhat hardier when grown in poor soils[4].

Individual flowers only last one day but there is a long succession of them[3][10].

Labdanum dislikes pruning, especially as it gets older and so any formative work should be restricted to removing dead, straggly or damaged growths[5]. The plant also resents root disturbance[10]. Plants should be pot grown and then planted out in their final positions whilst still small.

Sometimes cultivated for its gum, which is known as 'Labdanum', this is exuded in such quantity in hot weather that the plant becomes very sticky[11][12]. The leaves have glandular hairs which produce an aromatic gum. The sweet balsamic smell is most apparent in the summer in the early morning[13].

A very ornamental plant, it is very free-flowering and fast growing[14]. There are a number of named forms developed for their ornamental value[4].

An excellent nurse plant for sheltering young seedlings[14].

This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[15][10].

The flowers are very attractive to bees[16].

Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[10].

Range: Europe - W. Mediterranean.

Habitat: Pine woods, copses and on dry usually granitic hills[17][9].

Edibility: Seed - ground into a powder and used with cereal flours in making cakes and breads[18][19].

An oleo-resin obtained from the leaves and stems is eaten raw or used as a commercial food flavouring in baked goods, ice cream, chewing gum etc[20][21][18][19][5].

The plant is said to yield a sweet manna[19].This report is probably referring to the oleo-resin mentioned above[K].

Medicinal: Labdanum is an aromatic, expectorant, stimulant herb that controls bleeding and has antibiotic effects[11][5]. It is used internally in the treatment of catarrh and diarrhoea[5] and as an emmenagogue[11]. The leaves are harvested in late spring and early summer and can be dried for later use, or the resin extracted from them[5].

Usage: The glandular hairs on the leaves yield the oleo-resin 'ladanum', used medicinally and in soaps, perfumery, fumigation etc[11][3][22][12][23][17][24]. This resin is an acceptable substitute for ambergris (which is obtained from the sperm whale) and so is important in perfume manufacture[5]. The resin is collected by dragging a type of rake through the plant, the resin adhering to the teeth of the rake, or by boiling the twigs and skimming off the resin[23][17]. Most resin is produced at the hottest time of the year[22].

Pollinators: Bees

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure

In Leaf: Evergreen

Seed Ripens: Late Summer

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Also Known As: C. ladaniferus.

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  6. ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
  8. ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  13. ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
  15. ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
  16. ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  20. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  21. ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Howes, Frank. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Chronica Botanica, 1949.
  24. ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.


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