Cistaceae

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Cistaceae
Cistus incanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Cistaceae
Juss.[1]
Genera

The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful

Mediterranean basin, but also found in North America; a limited number of species are found in South America. Most Cistaceae are subshrubs and low shrubs, and some are herbaceous. They prefer dry and sunny habitats. Cistaceae grow well on poor soils, and many of them are cultivated in gardens
.

They often have showy yellow, pink or white flowers, which are generally short-lived. The flowers are bisexual, regular, solitary or borne in cymes; they usually have five, sometimes three, petals (

Cistus incanus). It has five sepals, the inner three of which are distinctly wider, and the outer two are narrow and sometimes regarded as bracteoles. The sepal
arrangement is a characteristic property of the family.

The

ovary is superior, usually with three carpels; placentation is parietal, with two or more ovules on each placenta. The fruit is a capsule, usually with five or ten valves (three in Helianthemum). The seeds are small, with a hard, water-impermeable coating, weighing around 1 mg.[3][4][5][6][7]

Recently the

Ecology

Cistus × purpureus orchid rock rose

The ability of Cistaceae to thrive in many Mediterranean habitats follows from two important ecological properties: mycorrhizal ability and fast renewal after wildfire. Most Cistaceae have the ability to create symbiotic relationship with root

fungi of the genus Tuber.[9][10] In this relationship, the fungus complements the root system in its task of absorbing water and minerals from the soil, and thus allows the host plant to dwell on particularly poor soils. In addition, an interesting quality of T. melanosporum is its ability to kill all vegetation except the host plant within the reach of its mycelium, and thus to give its host some sort of "exclusiveness" for the adjacent land area.[10]

Cistaceae have also optimally adapted to the wildfires that frequently eradicate large areas of forest. The plants cast their seeds in the soil during the growth period, but they do not germinate in the next season. Their hard coating is impermeable to the water, and thus the seeds remain dormant for a long period of time. This coating together with their small size allows these plants to establish a large seed bank rather deep in the soil. Once the fire comes and kills the vegetation in the area, the seed coating softens or cracks as a result of the heating, and the surviving seeds

germinate shortly after the fire. This mechanism allows the Cistaceae to produce a large number of young shoots simultaneously and at the right time, and thus to obtain an important advantage over other plants in the process of repopulating the area.[3][11]

Systematics

Molecular analyses of

Within Cistaceae, eight genera are recognized, including five in the

). These eight genera can be grouped into five major lineages within Cistaceae:

Cultivation and uses

An Anthrax fly on rock-rose near Sotosalbos, Spain

Cistus, Halimium and Helianthemum are widely cultivated ornamental plants. Their soil requirements are modest, and their hardiness allows them to survive well even the snowy winters of Northern Europe.

Some Cistus species, mostly C. ladanifer, are used to produce an aromatic resin, used in the perfume industry.

The ability of Cistaceae to create mycorrhizal relation with truffle mushroom (Tuber) prompted several studies about using them as host plants for truffle cultivation. The small size of Cistus shrubs could prove favorable, as they take up less space than traditional hosts, such as oak (Quercus) or pine (Pinus), and could thus lead to larger yield per field unit.

Cistaceae has been listed as one of the 38 plants used to prepare Bach flower remedies,[15] a kind of alternative medicine promoted for its effect on health. However, according to Cancer Research UK, "there is no scientific evidence to prove that flower remedies can control, cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer".[16]

Symbolism

In the Victorian

gum cistus
of the Cistaceae plant family symbolized imminent death.

Synonymous genera

These generic names inside Cistaceae were defined in various publications,[17][18] but their members were synonymised with the eight accepted genera by later research.

  • Anthelis
  • Aphananthemum
  • Atlanthemum
  • Fumanopsis
  • Helianthemon
  • Hemiptelea
  • Heteromeris
  • Horanthes
  • Horanthus
  • Ladanium
  • Ladanum
  • Lecheoides
  • Lechidium
  • Ledonia
  • Libanotis
  • Planera
  • Platonia
  • Pomelina
  • Psistina
  • Psistus
  • Rhodax
  • Rhodocistus
  • Stegitris
  • Stephanocarpus
  • Strobon
  • Taeniostema
  • Therocistus
  • Trichasterophyllum
  • Xolantha
  • Xolanthes

Fossil record

Cistinocarpum roemeri, a middle

fossil pollen have been found in Pliocene formations of Germany.[19]

References

  1. .
  2. .
  3. ^ a b Thanos, C. A., K. Georghiou, C. Kadis, C. Pantazi (1992). Cistaceae: a plant family with hard seeds. Israel Journal of Botany 41 (4-6): 251-263. (Available online: Abstract Archived 2004-12-05 at the Wayback Machine | Full text (PDF) Archived 2004-06-09 at the Wayback Machine)
  4. .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. ^ Chevalier, G., D. Mousain, Y. Couteaudier (1975). Associations ectomycorhiziennes entre Tubéracées et Cistacées. Annales de Phytopathologie 7(4), 355-356
  8. ^ a b Giovannetti, G., A. Fontana (1982). Mycorrhizal synthesis between Cistaceae and Tuberaceae. New Phytologist 92, 533-537
  9. ^ Ferrandis, P., J. M. Herrantz, J. J. Martínez-Sánchez (1999). Effect of fire on hard-coated Cistaceae seed banks and its influence on techniques for quantifying seed banks. Plant Ecology 144 (1): 103-114. (Available online: DOI)
  10. ^ Savolainen, V., M. W. Chase, S. B. Hoot, C. M. Morton, D. E. Soltis, C. Bayer, M. F. Fay, A. Y. De Bruijn, S. Sullivan, and Y.-L. Qiu. 2000. Phylogenetics of Flowering Plants Based on Combined Analysis of Plastid atpB and rbcL Gene Sequences. Syst Biol 49:306-362.
  11. P. S. Soltis
    , M. W. Chase, M. E. Mort, D. C. Albach, M. Zanis, V. Savolainen, W. H. Hahn, S. B. Hoop, M. F. Fay, M. Axtell, S. M. Swensen, L. M. Prince, W. J. Kress, K. C. Nison, and J. S. Farris. 2000. Angiosperm phylogeny inferred from 18S rDNA, vbcL, and atpB sequences. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 133:381-461.
  12. ^ Guzmán, B. and P. Vargas. 2009. Historical biogeography and character evolution of Cistaceae (Malvales) based on analysis of plastid rbcL and trnL-trnF sequences. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 9:83-99.
  13. . Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  14. ^ "Flower remedies". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  15. ^ IPNI (2004). The International Plant Names Index - Record on Cistaceae. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2004.
  16. ^ Kew (2004). List of genera in Cistaceae Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, in Vascular Plant Families and Genera Database Archived 2004-11-18 at the Wayback Machine, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2004.
  17. . Retrieved 31 March 2022.

External links