

CISTUS candidissimus. 



Canary Island Rock-Rose. 



Sect. I. ERYTHROCISTUS. Sepala externa angustiora, saepe 

 minora, interna basi concava raargine scariosa. Petala rosea, rubra 

 aut purpurea. Capsulce 5-loculares. 



* Pedunculis uniftoris, axillaribus aut terminalibus, solitariis 

 umbellatisve ; stylo cylindrico scepe staminibus longiore; stigmate 

 capitato 5-sulcato. DC. prodr. 1. p. 264. 



C. candidissimus, foliis ovato-ellipticis acutis dense tomentoso-inca- 

 nis subtus reticulatis trinerviis breviter petiolatis, petiolis basi 

 dilatatis margine pilosis vaginantibus, pedunculis terminalibus 

 unifloris aut subcymosis, sepalis externis dimidio brevioribus. 



Cistus candidissimus. DunalexDC. prodr. 1. p. 264. 



Stem woody, erect, much branched: branches 

 densely clothed with a soft white tomentum, and tufts 

 of very short hairs intermixed. Leaves ovately elliptic, 

 acute, clothed on both sides with a dense white tomen- 

 tum, reticulately veined underneath ; 3-nerved at the 

 base, the margins slightly crenulate, and fringed with 

 very short hairs. Petioles short, dilated and joined at 

 the base, sheathing the stem, hairy. Peduncles ter- 

 minal, often solitary and one-flowered, and shorter than 

 the leaves, but sometimes subcymose and several- 

 flowered, reaching beyond the leaves, densely tomen- 

 tose with tufts of short hairs intermixed. Bractes 2, 

 at the base of the peduncles, leaf-like, lanceolate, 

 taper-pointed, longer than the peduncles. Sepals 5, 

 tomentose, unequal, the 2 outer ones scarcely half the 

 length of the others ; inner ones ovate, concave, mu- 

 cronate, with a scariose membranaceous margin on the 

 inside, the outer margin naked. Petals 5, of a pale 

 rose colour, with yellow unguis, margins slightly cre- 

 nulate, distinct or scarcely imbricate at the base, about 



