A hardy evergreen shrub, growing to 2 m (6 ft.), with lanceolate, sticky, dark-green leaves. The papery, saucer-shaped white flowers bloom for only one day.
History and traditions
In his Relation d’un voyage du Levant, 1717, French botanist, Pitton de Tournefort, gives an eloquent description of collecting ladanum, a fragrant resin exuded by several species of cistus, by means of dragging a leather-thronged rake (a ladisteron) across the plants. He also refers to a method in use since Dioscoride’s day, of combing it from the beards of goats allowed to browse on the sticky foliage. It has a perfume reminiscent of ambergris and was one of the main ingredients in the solid, resin-based pomanders popular in the Middle Ages for repelling infection.
Growth
Prefers a light, well-drained soil and sheltered site in full sun. It is propagated from seed, sown in containers, in late summer or from softwood cuttings in early summer.
Parts used
Dried leaves, oleo-resin collected from young stems and leaves.
Uses
Aromatic Used as a fixative in perfumery, and in pot-pourri and home fragrance products.
