Cistus ocreatus has ovate leaves with three main veins and a short stalk (petiole). The flowers are purple, with styles longer than the stamens.[3] It resembles Cistus symphytifolius, but has smaller flowers,[4] and its leaves have a whitish appearance due to a covering of fine hairs.[2]
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The name Cistus ocreatus originates from Christen Smith,[5] who collected plants in the Canary Islands. Smith died in 1816.[6] In 1819 (i.e. after Smith's death), the name and description were published by Christian Leopold von Buch, attributed to "Dr Smith's notes".[7] Smith differentiated C. ocreatus from Cistus symphytifolius (which he called C. vaginatus), noting that it had smaller flowers.[4]
The specific epithet ocreatus derives from the Latin noun ocrea, "greave",[8] plus the ending -atus, "possessing or resembling".[9] Although the noun may also be spelt ochrea,[8] the spelling ocreatus was used by Buch in publishing Smith's notes.[7]
An alternative name for the taxon derives ultimately from Édouard Spach, who in 1836 published a description of Rhodocistus berthelotianus,[10] including variety leucophyllus. Rhodocistus berthelotianus was later synonymized with Cistus symphytifolius, and Günther Kunkel transferred the variety as the subspecies C. symphytifolius subsp. leucophyllus.[11] Smith's name Cistus ocreatus is considered to be a synonym of C. symphytifolius or its subspecies leucophyllus by some sources;[5][2] others accept it as an independent species.[12][13]
Cistus ocreatus is endemic to Gran Canaria,[13] where it is found in pine forests at altitudes of 860–1,400 metres (2,820–4,590 ft), in a climate described as "subhumid" and "temperate-warm".[3]
^ abGuzmán, Beatriz & Vargas, Pablo (2010), "Unexpected synchronous differentiation in Mediterranean and Canarian Cistus (Cistaceae)", Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 12 (3): 163–174, doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2009.09.002, p. 167
^ abvon Buch (1819), "Petalis [...] minor. quam in C. vagin." (with petals ... smaller than in C. vagin[atus])
^ abvon Buch, L. (1819), "Cistus ocreatus", Algemeine Übersicht der Flora auf den Canarischen Inseln, Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1816-1817 (in German and Latin), Berlin: Realschul-Buchhandlung, p. 380, retrieved 2015-03-21
^ abStearn, W.T. (2004), Botanical Latin (4th (p/b) ed.), Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN978-0-7153-1643-6, p. 455
^ abcdCiveyrel, Laure; Leclercq, Julie; Demoly, Jean-Pierre; Agnan, Yannick; Quèbre, Nicolas; Pélissier, Céline & Otto, Thierry (2011), "Molecular systematics, character evolution, and pollen morphology of Cistus and Halimium (Cistaceae)", Plant Systematics and Evolution, 295 (1–4): 23–54, doi:10.1007/s00606-011-0458-7, S2CID21995828
^Guzmán, B. & Vargas, P. (2009). "Historical biogeography and character evolution of Cistaceae (Malvales) based on analysis of plastid rbcL and trnL-trnF sequences". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 9 (2): 83–99. doi:10.1016/j.ode.2009.01.001.
^Guzmán, B. & Vargas, P. (2005), "Systematics, character evolution, and biogeography of Cistus L. (Cistaceae) based on ITS, trnL-trnF, and matK sequences", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37 (3): 644–660, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.026, PMID16055353