About
Cistus inflatus is a dense, evergreen shrub that can reach heights and widths of up to 1 meter. Its leaves are oval to oblong, exhibiting a deep green hue on the upper side and a lighter shade underneath. The stems are covered in glandular hairs, adding an aromatic quality to the plant. During the summer months, it produces white, five-petaled flowers measuring up to 4 cm in diameter, each featuring a cluster of bright yellow stamens at the center. The petals are broadly oval and have margins that curl backward. For optimal growth, this plant thrives in full sunlight and requires extremely well-drained soil, particularly important during the wetter winter months.
About the genus
Cistus consists of evergreen shrubs featuring simple, opposite leaves. They produce bowl-shaped flowers with five petals that can be white, pink, or purplish. Each flower lasts for just one day, blooming over an extended summer period.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy, Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants, Patio and container plants
- Native to
- SW Europe
- Fragrance
- Foliage
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grows well in poor, but well drained soil, in a sheltered site and full sun. The foliage may become chlorotic with age when the shrubs are grown on chalky soil.
- Pruning
- Pruning group 8 or pruning group 9 if necessary; they do not respond well to hard pruning so old leggy plants are best replaced. Pinch back young plants after flowering to encourage a bushy habit
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, softwood cuttings in spring and by semi-ripe cuttings from midsummer to early autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus