The white rockrose grows in the form of a low bush with thick, hairy, glandular leaves.The white rockrose grows in the form of a low bush with thick, hairy, glandular leaves.

The white rockrose is a rare cistus that grows in two or three locations in Malta and Gozo. It is closely related to the hoary rockrose, which has larger pink flowers.

This species, found in Southern Europe and North Africa, grows in typical Mediterranean terrestrial habitats including forests, woodlands, maquis and garigue. It is often cultivated as a garden plant and in some parts of the world it has established itself as an alien species. In parts of California, wherever the climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, it has been grown so profusely that it has become an invasive species.

Its scientific name is Cistus monspeliensis, which means the Montpellier cistus, which is actually an alternative name for this plant especially in gardening circles.

In some species the leaves produce a highly aromatic resin

The plant grows in the form of a low bush with thick, hairy, glandular leaves which exude a sticky liquid. These characteristics help the plant to conserve water during the long hot summer season when very little if any rain falls.

Between April and May it is covered in a large number of beautiful white flowers.

The rockrose (or cistus) family to which this plant belongs is composed of about 20 species. In some species the leaves produce a highly aromatic resin known as labdanum.

This sticky liquid has long been used in herbal medicine and as an ingredient in perfumes. In some countries, an infusion of the leaves is used to treat diarrhoea.

The resin is extracted by boiling the leaves of a particular species or by dissolving it in a solvent. An essential oil is obtained by steam distillation. The use of labdanum has replaced ambergris, which used to be obtained from the sperm whale, an endangered species now protected.

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