Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grey-leaved cistus
Cistus albidus L.
Also known as: Grey-leaved rock rose
Family: Cistaceae
0.5 to 1.5 m tall
Garrigue, dry banks, rock gardens, poor well-drained soils
Flowering: May – June
Full sun
Hardy to -12°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its crinkled, tissue-paper petals last only a single day, renewed every morning throughout the summer. Montpelier cistus has small white flowers and narrow, sticky, dark green leaves, whereas grey-leaved cistus has large pink flowers and ovate leaves covered in whitish down.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, ovate, grey-green, covered in a fine cottony down
🌸 Flowers
Large pink to purple flowers with five crinkled petals, usually solitary or few at the tips of the shoots.
🍎 Fruits
Small brown capsules
🪵 Bark
Downy grey twigs, compact bushy habit
🗺️ Distribution
Western Mediterranean; common in limestone garrigue in southern France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Large pink flowers very rich in pollen, actively visited by wild bees.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in Mediterranean beds or dry banks for its silvery-grey foliage.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Grey-leaved cistus
Cistus albidus
Montpelier cistus
Cistus monspeliensis
Montpelier cistus has small white flowers and narrow, sticky, dark green leaves, whereas grey-leaved cistus has large pink flowers and ovate leaves covered in whitish down.
🌿 Other Cistaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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