42 



CISTUS obtusifolius. 

 Blunt-leaved Cretan Rock- Rose. 



Sect. II. LEDONIA. Supra fol 8. 



1. Pedunculis unifloris, aut multiftoris cymosis; sepalis 5, exter- 

 nis scepius cordatis acuminatis ; capsulis 5-locularibus. 



* Pedunculis basi nudis, scepe infrd medium folia opposita geren- 

 tibus. 



C. obtusifolius, foliis subsessilibus basi attenuatis ovato-oblongis ob- 

 tusis rugosis stellato-pubescentibus margine subdenticulatis, pe- 

 dunculis terminalibus cj'moso-miiltifloris, sepalis exterioribus lato- 

 cordatis acutis, petalis obcordatis imbricatis. 



Cistus obtusifolius. Swt. hort. brit. add. p. 468. n. 30. Colv. cataL 

 edit. 3. p. 34. col. 3. 



shrubby, dwarf, very much branched, spread- 

 ing in all directions : branches spreading, ascending, 

 thickly clothed with a starry pubescence, or fascicles of 

 stellate hairs. Leaves opposite, sessile, or nearly so, 

 ovately oblong, obtuse, or with rounded points, attenu- 

 ated at the base into a sort of short footstalk, slightly 

 3-nerved, rugose, reticulately veined, very rough and 

 rigid, clothed on both sides with a starry pubescence, 

 or clusters of short hairs, of a dark green on the upper 

 side, and lighter underneath, margins slightly denticu- 

 late, and fringed with tufts of short hairs: upper leaves 

 quite sessile, and embracing the stem. Flowers termi- 

 nal in a many-flowered cyme. Pedicles rather short and 

 stout, cylindrical, clothed with a white canescence, and 

 longer hairs intermixed. Calyx of 5 sepals, the outer 

 ones broadly cordate, acute, hairy on both sides, the 

 margins slightly reflexed : inner ones ovate, taper-point- 

 ed or mucronate, with scariose membranaceous mar- 

 gins. Petals 5, obcordate, a little crumpled, white, with 

 a yellow spot at the base, imbricate at the base, the points 

 spreading. Stamens about 100, spreading, overtopping 



M 2 



